Truth of Pern
by bricann
Summary: When he is sent to Pern, he will find himself in a position that'll bring his friends to Pern as well. But, now that they are on this planet and duty-bound to burn the forever looming threat of Thread, will they want to leave? Will they leave Pern? And how many will he lose in the process? Read to find out. Warning: Quite a lot of time skips; Character death
1. Pern

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 1: Pern

Yusei slowly woke up on a forest ground. He looked around. "Where am I?" he wondered noticing the unknown plants and animals around the area. He heard the sound of an animal cooing a bit and turned to see a small, blue colored, dragon looking being standing there.

He kneeled to its eye level, curious about this creature. He felt a connection hit his mind for a moment as it looked into his eyes. It walked up to him before flying onto his shoulder.

"What are you?" he asked.

Suddenly pictures of it and fire appeared in his mind. He suddenly got an idea. "Fire lizard?" he guessed. It nodded shocking him. "Did you really just send me your thoughts in pictures?" It cooed again rubbing up against his cheek.

' _I don't know what's going on,'_ he thought. _'But I'm going to find out.'_

Yusei began to walk forward and he got a wave of happy emotions sent at him. He found his way to a lake and stopped at it. _'Even the fish look different,'_ he thought. The fire lizard hopped off his shoulder and almost immediately grabbed a fish. Yusei just looked at his reflection shocked.

' _My marker's gone!'_ he thought touching his cheek where it should be. He heard another coo and looked at the lizard staring up at him. Yusei kneeled down and gently caressed the lizard's head making it purr.

"I need to think of a name for you," Yusei stated. He then thought of one, not entirely knowing where he came up with it, "How about Roth?" Another wave of approving emotions entered his mind. "Alright. Your name is Roth."

Yusei turned as a large thump was heard behind him. A giant, bronze dragon stood there with a person on its back.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

Roth began to growl defensively while hopping onto Yusei's shoulder. Yusei looked at the man. He slowly answered, "My name's Yusei."

"I am B'rok. Where do you come from? And when did you Impress the fire lizard?" the man asked.

"In all honesty, I don't even know how I got here," Yusei stated confusing the man who hopped off his dragon. "I just got into this forest not really having any clue how. The last thing I remember before ending up here is looking at my home city from the overlook and then a bright light."

"City? Do you mean a hold?" B'rok asked.

"No," Yusei answered. "I was born in a city called New Domino City on Earth."

"Earth? That must be another planet!" B'rok exclaimed.

"So I'm on another planet," Yusei broke down. "What is this planet?"

"This is Pern," B'rok answered. "Here we Impress dragons and, most recently, fire lizards. We use dragons to rid Pern of the Thread. Beings that come when the Red Star passes and destroy any organic form. Now, if you just arrived here, how did you Impress the fire lizard? Have you named him?"

"I named him Roth," Yusei answered. "I had just woken up in the forest when he appeared. We looked at each other and I felt a connection. He's been sticking with me ever since."

"Amazing," B'rok stated. "This is the first anyone has Impressed a fire lizard without feeding it when it was an adult and not right after it was born."

"Really?" Yusei responded shocked. Roth rubbed his head against Yusei's affectionately.

"And it seems you've already formed a strong bond with him too," B'rok stated with a grin.

"Not entirely sure what I did to get that, but I guess," Yusei responded.

B'rok looked at his dragon. "My dragon's name is Kimith," he stated. "He believes you could Impress a dragon yourself."

"Really?" Yusei responded.

"Yes. And from what I can tell, you are definitely a strong, worthy candidate. Benden Weyr, my Weyr as Weyrleader, has a hatching today," B'rok informed. "I believe you should try to Impress."

"Are you sure if I'm even right for it? I'm not even from here," Yusei responded unsure.

"I am sure, Yusei," B'rok replied. "But it is your choice whether you want to or not."

"Alright," he agreed. "You good with that, Roth?" The fire lizard just nudged him again in approval.

"Come, we must get you ready," B'rok stated. He boarded Kimith with Yusei following. Yusei's fire lizard gripped on tight as B'rok's dragon took off. "Now, when you Impress, Yusei," B'rok stated as they flew, "Roth will need to stay in the hall."

"Hear that, Roth?" Yusei stated. Roth sent some sad emotions to Yusei. "It'll be alright, Roth." Roth gave a nod and Yusei rubbed his lizard's head again comforting it.

"Also, Yusei, don't worry about doing anything to Impress a dragon," B'rok stated returning Yusei's attention to the Weyrleader. "It'll connect with you as soon as it sees you and Impress with you then and there. That's when you'll have Impressed the dragon."

"Okay," Yusei agreed.

"Now, I should probably tell you about the dragons that are here," B'rok stated and explained it to Yusei. He explained their ability to breathe fire and the color of which each type of dragon goes to. After he was done explaining he said, "The queen of the Benden Weyr, Cryth, is old and dying. This will be her last hatch."

"Really?" Yusei responded shocked.

"Yes, but fortunately, she did lay a queen," B'rok stated. "However, the queen egg is different. Not in size but in color. As I just told you, a queen egg is gold. But this egg is silver in color. Last time there was a different colored egg, it was smaller and Ruth, a small, white dragon, was born from it. He was quite smart but he was sterile."

"So you're worried this queen will be sterile?" Yusei asked.

"Yes," B'rok stated. "Cryth didn't lay many queen eggs. And the ones she did didn't have good riders. They died quickly due to their riders' arrogance."

"But didn't you say this egg was normal size to a normal queen egg?" Yusei asked.

"Yes," B'rok replied. "What about it?"

"Maybe she won't be sterile like Ruth," Yusei replied. "Perhaps it was Ruth's size that made him sterile."

"You like to keep people's hopes up, don't you?" B'rok asked with a small grin.

"I like to believe that everyone has a brighter future for them," Yusei replied looking at the clouds.

"The heart of a leader," B'rok stated making Yusei turn to him. "If you Impress any dragon, I would bet it would be a bronze."

"We'll find out," Yusei responded calmly.


	2. Impression

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 2: Impression

They arrived at a room that was embedded in the rock. "This is the Benden Weyr and my room. The Weyr is like cave systems only we live and work in them like a hold," B'rok explained.

"I see," Yusei stated.

"Here," B'rok stated and handed Yusei some clothes. "You need to wash up and get changed into the Impressing uniforms. I'll meet you out here when you're done."

"Alright," Yusei agreed. He went into the bathroom and did as he was told. It wasn't long before he met B'rok again.

"Very good," B'rok stated. "Come. The Impression will begin soon."

Yusei followed the Weyrleader into another room where some other young adults were gathering in the hall. In front of them was a room that was filled with nearly steaming sand and a clutch of eggs. And he did notice the one silver egg B'rok had told him about.

"So this is the last guy, huh?" said a male's voice. Yusei looked at him. He had brown hair that was cut at his ears, brown eyes, and wore the Impression uniform. "My name's Noket. But if I become a dragon rider, I'll be known as N'ket."

"I'm Yusei," he introduced.

A girl then walked up. "I'm a friend of Noket's. My name's Deia," she stated. She had blonde hair and green eyes. She was also in the Impression uniform only it was fit for a girl. "You said your name was Yusei?"

Yusei nodded. "Nice to meet you," he stated.

"I wonder if we'll Impress a dragon," Noket stated. "What dragon do you two want?"

"As much as I would like a queen, I'm also okay with a green," Deia said. "What about you, Yusei?"

"I'm not one to be picky," Yusei responded. "I'm fine with any dragon." Another coo came and Roth came up.

"Whoa! A fire lizard!" Deia exclaimed. "Did you Impress him?"

"Not on purpose but yeah," Yusei replied. "He already knows he'll have to stay out here, right?" Roth nodded.

"Smart fire lizard," Noket said. "Most fire lizards only answer with emotions and pictures. This one can actually answer with gestures."

"It's impressive, Yusei," Deia stated.

"Candidates, enter the hatching ground for Impression," B'rok stated.

"Come on," Deia called as they walked into the hatching ground.

They lined up and the harpers and lords came to watch. B'rok was standing at the front of the crowd and watching Yusei closely. _'Yusei is quite different than the rest,'_ B'rok thought. _'With a queen a different color, is it possible the queen will choose Yusei?'_

The greens and blues were quick to hatch and found their riders easily. Leaving Yusei, Deia, and Noket to find their dragon. While the other dragons were picking, the queen burst out of its shell. It's skin silver in color.

"She hatched so early," Yusei heard a lord holder state shocked.

"It's also silver," another added.

The silver queen immediately looked at Yusei and rubbed against his leg. He immediately felt another connection aside from Roth's click in his mind. The dragon jumped making Yusei grab it. Everyone was silent and Yusei was shocked himself. That's when they noticed a bronze go to Deia and Impressed with her.

"A queen chose a male! And a bronze chose a girl!" a lord exclaimed.

"This clutch is bizarre," another stated.

The last bronze walked up to Noket and Impressed with him. The rest of the candidates were chosen by browns.

"Alright!" B'rok called. "The dragons have chosen their riders. Gather in the great hall for refreshments."

Yusei looked at the little queen who moved up to his shoulder. _"Hello, Yusei,"_ he heard a young, female's voice in his mind. He looked at the dragon. _"Yes, Yusei. Unlike a fire lizard, I can talk to you telepathically. My name is Truth."_

" _You obviously know my name,"_ Yusei responded. He followed the other riders still confused on how he ended up with the queen.

" _I chose you because of your heart, Yusei,"_ Truth stated. _"A Weyr needs a leader who has a good heart."_

" _I understand,"_ he responded.

B'rok showed them to the area where they would clean their dragons since they just hatched. Truth agreed easily and the other riders also seemed shocked at how reasonable and calm she was. Once the dragons were finished, Truth found her way to Yusei's shoulder again. She weighed a lot and she was the biggest but Yusei managed to work with her.

Roth then flew in and landed on Yusei's other shoulder. Deia ran over with Noket. "Yusei! I can't believe you Impressed the queen of all the dragons there!" Deia stated.

"I can barely believe it either," he responded.

"And what about you Impressing a bronze, Deia?" Noket asked.

"Yeah, that was also unexpected," she responded with an awkward laugh. She grew serious, and seemingly annoyed, quickly. "Did you notice, though? There was another girl who Impressed a bronze."

"Who?" Noket asked. Deia gestured to a girl with black hair and eyes. She wore a successful, happy grin on her face. "How on Pern did she end up even as a candidate?"

"Who is she? What's wrong with her?" Yusei asked.

"Her name's Mysteria," Deia asked. "She's from our hold and the lord holder's daughter. She's pampered and acts like she's better than everyone else."

"She doesn't like us very much because we were her friends. Back then, she was pretty cool and fun to hang out with," Noket stated. "Now she's not… the best."

"I see," Yusei responded.

" _Hmph, I'm not picking a pampered dragonrider when I mate,"_ Truth stated.

"We'll see, Truth," Deia said shocking them. "I've been able to talk to all dragons since I was a child," she explained seeing the stares at her from her two friends. "Let's go feed and oil the dragons." The others nodded and began to walk.

"What hold did you guys come from, anyway?" Yusei asked.

"Ruatha," Deia answered.

"What about you?" Noket answered.

"That's… a bit complicated," Yusei replied.

"Tell us," Deia stated excitedly. She looked at her dragon with an awkward expression. "Sorry, Irath." She looked back at them. "I should've introduced you sooner, this is Irath."

"My bronze is named Ereth," Noket introduced.

"And you probably heard Deia say it, but her name is Truth," Yusei stated. "And my fire lizard is Roth."

"Anyway, tell us where you're from," Deia stated.

"I'll tell you when there isn't as many people around," Yusei stated glancing at the other watching weyrlings. "Only B'rok knows it and I would rather not tell everyone in the Weyr it."

"I can get that," Noket agreed. They fed and oiled their dragons who were calm and easy. They looked at the other dragons who were a bit hesitant. "I'm thankful you guys are easy to work with."

" _What can I say? When you are connected to someone like Yusei, you tend to be calmer,"_ Truth stated. Deia giggled at the statement while Yusei gave an awkward smile.

"I wish I could hear the other dragons," Noket commented. "That way I don't have to ask for translations."

Yusei noticed his Signer mark flash. But just as quickly as it glowed, it went dark again. That's when Yusei began to hear a couple, male voices. But Noket's mouth wasn't moving and he knew it couldn't have been Deia. _'Am I hearing their dragons?'_ Yusei thought.

" _You're hearing the other dragons, Yusei. The Crimson Dragon thought you should have the ability,"_ Truth stated.

" _How do you know about the Crimson Dragon?"_ he asked.

" _We're connected through mind and heart, Yusei. I know everything you do, and all your memories,"_ Truth answered as they finished oiling, her words shocking Yusei.

B'rok walked over making them turn to him. "Why don't you all go get some dinner?" he suggested. "You must be hungry."

"Yes, sir," they agreed and left.

"Yusei, may I speak to you for a moment?" B'rok asked before they left and Yusei turned to him as the others left.


	3. Explanation

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 3: Explanation

"Yes?" Yusei replied. "Is something wrong?"

"The other lords and harpers will ask this too, but did you try to Impress her?" B'rok asked.

"No," Yusei answered honestly. "It kind of just… happened."

"I understand," B'rok stated with a small grin. "After all, a rider doesn't choose his lifetime partner." Yusei nodded. "I have much to discuss with you during dinner. For privacy reasons as you are a Weyrleader now, we'll go into my room."

"Alright," Yusei agreed.

They walked to B'rok's barracks. As they entered, B'rok said, "As you can probably guess, usually a queen would choose a girl. In the history of Pern, no queen has chosen a male as their lifetime partner."

"Really?" Yusei responded.

"Yes," B'rok asked. "And so, it comes as no surprise that as soon as you left with your queen, the harpers and lords were questioning letting you be the next Weyrleader."

"I can see that," Yusei responded.

"The problem is only added at the fact that we don't know whether she is sterile or not," B'rok stated. "What's her name anyway?"

"Her name's Truth," Yusei answered.

" _And I'm not sterile!"_ Truth added defensively. She jumped out onto the bed next to where they were.

"Truth just said… that she's not sterile," Yusei repeated.

"How would she know that? She only _just_ hatched," B'rok asked shocked.

" _I may be young but that doesn't mean I'm not smart!"_ Truth yelled.

"Easy, Truth," Yusei tried to calm her down and it worked. He looked back at B'rok. "But she is right, though you weren't able to hear her. Just because she's young, it doesn't mean she isn't smart. Where I grew up, it was be smart and grow up fast or you'll get into a lot of trouble."

"What was it like where you grew up, Yusei?" B'rok asked.

"When I was growing up, New Domino City had been split apart into two sectors after an explosion. The city and Satellite. Satellite was a run down, beaten area after the explosion and took most of the damage. There, people would take the garbage and things people threw away in the city to make a living. Satellite was a place where everyone had to grow up fast if you wanted to stay alive," Yusei explained. "I grew up in Satellite as an orphan." B'rok was shocked by this. "But I made close friends. I had a foster mother who cared for every orphan kid there was. They were the family I needed. Even with the conditions I was in, I kept myself hopeful that Satellite would end up with a better future along with the rest of the world. But one of my closest friends changed for the worse. He stole my best card and duel runner and escaped to the city to become a champion. I eventually went after him. But I was caught and arrested for it."

"Why would they arrest you for going into the city?" B'rok asked. "It doesn't seem right."

"Because it was against the law for any Satellite native to go into the city," Yusei answered. "Later on, after I was arrested, I was let out of the Facility. I then discovered I had to find some people called Signers, me being one of them already, who were chosen by the Crimson Dragon to stop our counterparts, the Dark Signers. The battle was long and our very lives were put on the line every duel. I had made the director of New Domino City, Rex Goodwin, promise that if we succeeded in saving the world he would build a bridge to connect the city and Satellite. And once we beat the Dark Signers, adding Goodwin, we did build a bridge. For once, everything was connected and the lives of Satellite and city were going to go up. After that, I came here."

"A life like that would make you into what you are now, Yusei," B'rok said. "And that life made you a good leader as well." Yusei looked at him. "I am certain that you'll be a good Weyrleader. You are wise beyond your years, Yusei; I can tell. You will have to learn your responsibilities that a Weyrwoman would have with your queen. But you will also have to learn things as a Weyrleader."

"What is the first thing I should learn anyway?" Yusei asked.

"You'll begin learning your job as a dragonrider tomorrow. But as a rider of a queen, you'll also be tasked with learning extra items with being a leader of the Weyr," B'rok stated. "One of the first and most important for a queen is mating flights."

"And I'll be learning that later?" Yusei responded.

"Yes," B'rok answered. "The biggest thing we need to do in training for the weyrlings and their dragons is cement their bond. And from what I can tell for you and Truth, your bond is already stronger than any dragon and rider I have ever seen. Even at full grown."

"What about you and Kimith?" Yusei asked glancing at the dragon sleeping in the room.

"We have a deep strong bond just as any lifetime partners," B'rok asked. "But I should tell you what happens when you die or your dragon dies." Yusei gave B'rok full attention. "A dragon and rider are close. As I'm sure you can figure out, their heart and minds are practically one." Yusei nodded. "When you die, the dragon will commit suicide, unable to go on without his or her rider." Yusei was shocked and looked at his dragon worried. She seemed perfectly calm about it. "If the dragon should die before the rider," B'rok continued making Yusei turn back to him, "the rider won't commit suicide unless by choice. But his or her heart would likely stop and you wouldn't survive. Sometimes the rider can survive, though the rider is often left in a state of depression. A surviving rider is also given the chance to commit suicide if they do survive the loss of their dragon."

"I can see that," Yusei responded.

"If the dragon and rider is so closely connected as you two are, the likelihood of you surviving the death of Truth is less than slim," B'rok stated. "Probably not even considerable. This also means we will need Truth to clutch and lay a queen more than Cryth did. Truth is obviously smart and strong. If she believes she's fertile, I have no reason to doubt her yet. But on the other side for you, Yusei," he paused in a bit of worry.

"What is it?" Yusei asked confused by the sudden silence.

"As you are the only current Weyrleader, or in the position of the only Weyrwoman, I do not believe you will ever be able to return to your world if you ever found the chance," B'rok stated.

"I understand," Yusei responded. "I knew that as soon as I Impressed a dragon, the likelihood of me ever being able to return to New Domino was a slim chance. There wasn't a way I could ignore that fact."

B'rok nodded. "I believe Truth was right to pick you," he stated. Roth, still being on Yusei's shoulder, nudged Yusei's head again. "And I know Roth agrees with me. Tell me, Yusei, how did you pick his name?"

"I'm… not sure. It just sort of came to me," Yusei replied honestly.

B'rok nodded. "Now, typically, a male rider would have their named shortened," he stated. "However, your name is already short and is quite impossible, as I must admit, to make a reasonable shortened name."

"What's your name shortened for?" Yusei asked.

"Bitonrok," B'rok answered.

"How are names chosen here?" Yusei asked.

"Usually based on the names of the mother and father combined," B'rok answered. "What about your planet?"

"Anything your parents want it to be," Yusei replied. "It isn't really based on your parents' names. It's just what they want the child to be named. For instance, my closest friends' names are Jack, Crow, Akiza, Leo, and Luna."

"I see," B'rok responded. "I would've never thought of a planet like that."

"Every planet probably has something different about it from another," Yusei stated. "That's just something we all have to accept."

"Yes, I agree," B'rok responded. "Now, Yusei. Do you remember how I told you about the Thread when we first met?"

"Yes," Yusei answered confused as to where this was going.

"One thing you should know about mating with a queen is that if a queen had just mated before a Threadfall and until after the hatching, the queen cannot fight," B'rok explained.

"Why?" Yusei asked.

"In order to flame and burn Thread, a dragon must eat firestone," B'rok stated.

"And the firestone can mess with any eggs that would be laid, right?" Yusei guessed.

B'rok nodded. "Correct. And when she has clutched, she will refuse to leave the nest except to eat and bathe at your urging," he answered. "Am I correct in assuming you want to keep your home world information a secret for now?" Yusei nodded. "I understand. Now, I am guessing your new friends are worried. Why don't we go find them before it is time to sleep?"

Yusei agreed and Truth got on his shoulder again. They walked into the gathering area where Yusei was immediately met with questions from harpers and lords. He tried to answer them to the best of his ability and they seemed to grow okay with him being the Weyrleader over the time of questions.

"Alright! Alright!" Deia called as she gently pushed the harpers and lords away with Noket. "Let's stop bombarding him with questions." They all gave nervous faces and went to go talk with B'rok.

"Thanks, guys," Yusei told them.

"No problem," Noket stated. "I don't think it would be too comfortable being questioned like that."

"If it wasn't for Noket, I would've been questioned even more," Deia stated.

"Really?" Yusei asked.

"Yep," Deia replied. "They kept questioning me on being one of the first girls to be chosen by a bronze and what I thought of you being chosen by a queen. Once Noket got them away, they went straight to Mysteria and we all know how she reacted."

"She liked all the attention, didn't she?" Yusei asked.

"Yep," Noket stated. Yusei sighed. "So was Ereth telling the truth?" Yusei looked at him confused. "Can you really hear their thoughts too? Like Deia?"

"I think," Yusei replied. "Not entirely sure."

"So the one man who stole a queen finally showed up," came a girl's voice from behind Yusei.

Yusei could tell who the person was just from the attitude and the fact that Deia and Noket gave a slight glare. Yusei turned to Mysteria. "So what's your name again?" she asked.

"Yusei," he answered calmly.

"And what about your dragon? Can't be very smart if it chose a male," Mysteria stated.

"Mysteria!" Deia exclaimed.

"Her name's Truth," Yusei stated staying calm while Truth gave a warning growl. "She's actually smarter than you would think. She told me why she chose me although I didn't even ask the question."

"Hmph, and what did she tell you?" Mysteria asked. She was obviously annoyed she couldn't get him to act poorly.

"She based her choice on my heart," Yusei replied. "Truth felt that a good leader needs a good heart."

"Yeah, ri-" she was cut off by her dragon and Yusei heard what he said.

" _Mysteria, there is something different about him. Don't be so quick to judge,"_ he stated.

"What is your dragon's name anyway?" Noket asked.

"Lorith," Mysteria answered.

"Well Lorith sounds a lot more reasonable than you do right now, Mysteria," Yusei stated calmly, shocking her. "Maybe you should try to match his personality. It could strengthen your bond."

"Y-You could hear what he said?" Mysteria asked.

"So could I," Deia replied. The other bronze rider looked at Deia shocked. "Don't be so surprised, Mysteria. You know I can talk to any dragon."

"Alright, you guys," said B'rok as he walked up. They turned to him. "It's getting close to lights out. You should all head to your rooms for the night." They began to leave when B'rok called Mysteria in a tense, stern voice, "And Mysteria, I don't want to hear you saying the queen isn't smart again." She flinched a bit but nodded and followed the others out.


	4. Mating Flight

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 4: Mating Flight

1 ½ Turns Later…

It had been a turn and a half since Yusei had arrived on Pern and Impressed Truth. She had grown into a large, smart, and agile queen and was nearing her first mating flight.

Yusei and Deia had slowly been getting closer and had already admitted their affection to one another. Deia had even Impressed a gold fire lizard, Vesoth, who had already mated three times with Roth, one with Vesoth having only recently clutched and had yet to hatch, and they repeatedly made a good clutch. Yusei and Noket had turned into strong friends and the only time they were apart was lessons and when they had their jobs to do. Meanwhile Mysteria had turned into an arguable enemy of Yusei and his new friends. However, Mysteria was trying to get on Yusei's good side and get him to like her. But he and his friends knew it was only because she wanted to be Weyrwoman.

Yusei had already been in a couple Threadfalls and it had really gained him some experience on Pern.

Now, Yusei had just woken up to find Truth ready to mate. She yelled out her cry and Yusei hurried to B'rok who was waiting for him. Truth went down to the feeding ground.

"Remember, Yusei, focus. Don't let her gorge," B'rok reminded him.

Yusei focused hard. _"Truth, that's enough!"_ he stated mentally. She paused but didn't stop. _"Enough, Truth!"_

She finally stopped and took to the air. The bronzes soared high, trying to catch Truth, and Yusei then had to focus on keeping his dragon from going between. It was getting difficult as the mixed emotions and thoughts of his dragon were affecting him.

"Look!" he heard a person call. "Isn't that a young bronze?"

Yusei was too focused on keeping Truth here that he didn't even bother to look. Eventually though, Truth's calm thoughts returned and he knew the mating flight was done. Yusei looked as a blue rider friend, V'raj, escorted his dragon to the Weyr bowl.

B'rok placed a hand on Yusei's shoulder and Yusei looked at the current Weyrleader who had an approving smile on his face. "Well done, Yusei," B'rok stated. "Come, let's go check on Truth." Yusei nodded and followed.

"I didn't even look to see who caught Truth," Yusei commented. "Who caught her?"

"Irath," B'rok stated.

"Really?" Yusei responded. "But he's still young. I thought usually young dragons couldn't catch a queen."

"Usually yes," B'rok stated. "But that doesn't mean it's impossible for it to happen."

Yusei nodded. "True," he agreed. They arrived at the Weyrbowl and Truth turned to him. "You doing okay?"

" _Yes,"_ she answered. _"I'm fine. Did I trouble you during my flight?"_

" _It's not your fault,"_ Yusei replied touching her head. _"It's normal for you to think like that during a mating flight. I'm not bothered by it."_

" _Good,"_ Truth responded.

Roth then flew in and landed on Yusei's shoulder giving off emotions of approval and happiness. Deia then ran in and wrapped Yusei in a hug making Roth pull to a hover.

"Irath did it, Yusei!" she exclaimed.

"I'm impressed, Deia," he responded.

"Indeed," B'rok agreed. "You Impressed a good bronze, Deia."

"Thank you," she responded.

"Now that Yusei's dragon has picked a bronze, you'll be Weyrwoman and Yusei will be Weyrleader. My job is done now," B'rok stated.

"Really?" Deia responded shocked. "But I wasn't trained to be a Weyrwoman."

"Don't worry, Deia," said Steta, the Headwoman, as she walked in. "I'll train you."

"Thanks, Steta," Deia responded and the Headwoman nodded.

"Steta, before I relinquish my position completely, I do want you to start training Deia as soon as possible. The sooner she's ready, the sooner the great Weyrwoman she'll be," B'rok stated.

"Yes, sir," she agreed. "Come, Deia. You'll be able to meet with Yusei later."

"Alright," Deia agreed and waved to Yusei before following Steta out.

" _Yusei, can we go for a flight?"_ Truth asked.

"B'rok, would it be alright if a queen went to fly around a bit right after mating?" Yusei asked.

"I suppose. Just don't go _between_ ," he answered. "Remember, Yusei, you're the Weyrleader now. I'll be there for any assistance in the beginning. But now you'll need to learn to make decisions for the Weyr on your own."

"I understand," Yusei responded. B'rok left and Yusei got the riding equipment on Truth. She then took off into the air.

. . .

Jack and Crow stood at the overlook. "Where do you think Yusei is?" Crow asked.

"I don't know, Crow. I just hope he's alright," Jack replied.

"Hey, guys," came Akiza's voice and they turned as she and the twins walked up. "Here to think about Yusei too?"

"Yeah," Jack answered.

"I wonder if he's happy where he is," Luna stated.

Suddenly their marks lit up before the Crimson Dragon appeared and practically swallowed the group before disappearing again.

 **Sorry that this is a bit short. Don't be too harsh about it.**


	5. Friends

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 5: Friends

Jack, Crow, Luna, Leo, and Akiza slowly woke up and sat up. They looked around and noticed they were in a bizarre forest.

"Where are we?" Crow wondered.

"Weren't we just at the overlook?" Luna added.

"Yeah, so how did we get here?" Jack asked. "Wherever here is."

They then saw a giant beast swoop down, nearly touching the tops of the trees. The wind blowing against them and the trees as it passed. It was silver and moving fast. They looked through the leaves as it came to a hover. It was a silver, dragon looking being. On its back seemed to be a person, but they were too far away to make out any features.

. . .

As Yusei and Truth passed over the forest, Yusei noticed something on the forest floor. _"Hold up, Truth. I think I saw something in the forest,"_ he told his dragon. Truth pulled to a stop and looked where he was looking.

" _People are there,"_ she stated.

" _People?"_ Yusei questioned shocked. _"Let's go find out who they are."_ He then thought, _'Who on Pern would be in the forest like this?'_

He began finding overtime he was getting used to naturally speaking the terms that the people on Pern used. By now, he didn't even say any of his original home's terms anymore. He even forgot them once in awhile.

Truth flew down and landed in front of the shocked group. They hadn't seen Yusei but he saw them. When he hopped off of Truth's back, they finally noticed him.

"Yusei?!" Jack exclaimed.

"What're you guys doing here?" Yusei asked. "You should be back at New Domino."

"So should you," Crow retorted.

"No," Yusei responded. "I can't go back there even if I wanted to."

"Why?" Luna asked.

"I'm a Weyrleader here and Truth is the only one in the Benden Weyr who can lay eggs right now," Yusei explained. "And I couldn't leave Truth."

"Wait, who is Truth?" Crow asked. Truth gave a gentle, greeting rumble. "That's Truth?!"

"Yep," Yusei answered. "And Truth knows all about you already."

"How?" Jack asked.

"We're connected mentally," Yusei replied. "She's seen you in my memories."

"What is she?" Leo asked.

"A dragon," Yusei answered bluntly. A squawking sound called and they turned and Roth landed on Yusei's shoulder. "And this is Roth, a fire lizard."

" _Yusei, your friends… they are worried,"_ Truth stated. Roth sent a similar message with his emotions and pictures.

"I know, Truth, Roth," Yusei responded aloud shocking the unknowing group.

"You can talk to it?" Akiza asked.

Truth gave a warning growl, frightening the group a bit. "Calm down, Truth," Yusei told her and she did. "Truth isn't an 'it', she's a 'she'. And Roth is a male. And yes, I can. We can talk telepathically through the bond we share. Some riders like Deia and I can communicate with other dragons telepathically but it's not a common ability. Roth and other fire lizards though can only communicate with their emotions and pictures."

"How many riders are there?" Jack asked.

"Seven Weyrs total and each Weyr has too many occupants to count off from hand," Yusei replied.

" _Yusei, Thread are falling!"_ Truth stated.

"Threadfall?" Yusei responded and he could see some Thread falling in the distance. "Can you carry the others to the Weyr?"

" _Yes,"_ she answered.

"Yusei!" called B'rok's voice. He landed shocking the group, except Yusei. "I see you found some people. Did you notice the Thread?"

"Yes," Yusei replied.

"Get you and your friends to the Weyr. Truth can't burn the Thread since she just mated," B'rok ordered.

"Right," Yusei agreed.

"I'm heading up there," B'rok stated. "Stay safe, Yusei."

"You too, B'rok," Yusei responded and the man took off. He looked back at his friends. "Hop on, Truth," he ordered and he climbed onto her back.

"Huh?!" Crow responded.

"Listen, Thread are coming and I don't want to see you guys get hurt," Yusei replied. "So get on so I can get you to the Weyr."

"Uh… okay," Leo agreed and they boarded behind Yusei.

Yusei immediately took off making them look around slightly frightened but also in awe. When they landed, they found themselves in a room embedded in rock.

"Where are we?" Akiza asked.

"This is my room," Yusei replied getting off. "You're in the Benden Weyr."

"Weyr?" Luna repeated.

"It's the home of dragons and their riders," Yusei explained. "It's where we live." They watched as Roth flew off of Yusei's shoulder and landed in a small nest before falling asleep. Yusei shook his head with a grin. He turned to his dragon. "You feeling okay, Truth?" She nodded.

" _I'm fine,"_ she answered. _"However, I am worried for Deia and Irath."_

" _So am I. I'll go find them,"_ Yusei responded. _"Stay here and make sure they don't leave this room."_

" _Alright. Be careful,"_ Truth agreed. He nodded.

Yusei began to make his way out when Jack called, "Where are you going?"

"I need to go look for Deia," Yusei answered. "Truth's going to make sure you guys stay here."

"Why can't we come with you?" Crow asked.

"Right now, I'm not having you get lost and I need to be sure you're safe," Yusei explained. "So for now, stay here and don't go anywhere else." He then ran out.

He ran for a few minutes but it wasn't long before someone crashed into him with a hug. He looked at the girl before he wrapped his arms around her.

"Yusei, I was worried you were hurt," Deia stated. "When the Thread began to fall near where you were…"

"I'm fine, Deia," Yusei responded. "Where's Irath?"

"He went straight for your room in search of Truth," she answered.

"Let's head there now," Yusei stated and she nodded. He kept her hand in his as they hurried back to the room. "You should probably know that my friends from my other world somehow popped up."

"Really?" Deia responded shocked. "How?"

"Not really sure," Yusei replied. "But they're in my room too with Truth making sure they stay there."


	6. Suggestions

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 6: Suggestions

Yusei and Deia entered his room where the others were waiting, though they were staring at the two dragons nervously. Irath was studying them with a waiting expression, like he was waiting for them to attack.

"Easy, Irath," Deia told her dragon making the ones in the room turn to the two riders. "They're not Thread and they don't really pose any threat at the moment."

" _Alright,"_ Irath agreed.

"They try to escape, Truth?" Yusei asked.

" _Once but one growl and they stayed in place,"_ she answered.

Yusei grinned. _"Good,"_ he responded.

"So you're Yusei's other friends, huh?" Deia asked. "Don't look like much."

"What did you say?!" Jack exclaimed.

Deia laughed while Yusei smirked. Vesoth then flew in and Roth woke up at the sound of her. They began to play around like two close Weyrbrat friends. Deia and Yusei chuckled at the sight.

"Did Noket go to burn Thread?" Yusei asked Deia.

"Yeah," she answered. "So did Mysteria. As much as that girl annoys me, I don't want her to get hurt."

"What are Thread, anyway?" Luna asked.

Deia pointed to the sky where the Red Star was close. "You see that giant, red ball in the sky?" she asked.

"Yeah?" Crow replied.

"That's the Red Star. Whenever it passes, Thread drop from it," Yusei explained. "Thread are creatures that eat at any organic material. Riders go and burn Thread while the ones that reach the ground are killed by ground crews."

"What happens if they touch you or your dragons?" Jack asked.

"Usually they will only burn you. But if they are close enough and angled enough, they can kill you," Yusei answered as if it was nothing new, and it shocked the group how calm he was with it.

"How can you be so calm about that?" Crow asked.

"It's a part of our life as dragon riders," Deia replied sternly. "It's not that we like it. But we're used to it and we have to accept that it might happen."

"How long do the falls take anyway?" Akiza asked.

"About three hours," Yusei answered bluntly.

"Yusei, what is life like here?" Luna asked.

"Other than Threadfalls, things are pretty peaceful," he replied honestly. "What have I missed in New Domino?"

"Nothing big. We just had to stop some people called the Emperors of Yliaster from destroying the world," Crow answered with a bored expression.

"And I'm guessing you won?" Deia responded.

"Is it really that obvious?" Crow replied sarcastically.

Irath growled warningly and Crow backed up a bit. "Calm down, Irath," Deia stated and he calmed a bit.

"Yusei, can you really never come back?" Leo asked. Yusei shook his head.

"Why?" Luna asked.

"Think of the Weyr like a pack of wherries," Yusei started. They gave him confused looks, so he corrected himself, "Or wolves. There is the alpha female and alpha male. Since I have the only queen, I am the Weyrleader or the alpha male of the Weyr. Though, my position with having a queen would usually be the standing of a Weyrwoman, or an alpha female. But Truth chose me instead of the usual girl."

" _And I will never regret the choice,"_ Truth stated making Yusei grin at her.

"And I'm the alpha female because Irath just mated with Truth," Deia added. "Bronzes are usually paired up with guys, but Irath and Mysteria's Lorith chose us, two girls."

"How long ago did your dragons mate?" Akiza asked.

"About a half hour before I found you guys," Yusei answered. "It's still hard for me to believe that I only got here almost two turns ago."

"I know what you mean, Yusei. Feels like it's only been a month," Deia responded.

"Yusei, will you ever visit if you get the chance?" Luna asked.

"No, I can't," Yusei replied.

"Then we'll stay here with you," Crow proclaimed.

"No," Yusei immediately denied. "I don't want you in the regular danger that's here. What would your parents do, Akiza, if you suddenly disappeared forever? And you two as well, Leo, Luna?" They looked down, seeing his point.

"Yeah, but _we_ don't have parents," Crow responded gesturing to him and Jack.

"What about the kids you watched and that still see you as a role model, Crow?" Yusei asked and he paused. "And Jack, you won't be able to duel here. You would have to find a new skill and you do best with dueling. You shouldn't separate yourself from that just because I'm staying here."

" _And you will never be alone,"_ Truth said. _"You have me to stand by you."_ She nudged Yusei's side kindly and Yusei scratched her eyelid affectionately with a grin making her purr in contentment.

" _I wouldn't have it any other way,"_ Yusei responded

" _What about you, Deia?"_ Irath asked.

" _Do I need to reply? No way would I ever leave you,"_ she replied and Irath nipped at her hair as a way of playing with her. Irath had done that since he hatched. She looked at him a bit annoyed. "You're not a hatchling anymore, Irath," Deia stated.

Yusei grinned in amusement as Irath responded, _"It's fun to mess with you like that though. I may be a bronze but I do like to mess with my rider from time to time."_ Deia grinned and the two riders laughed.

Yusei looked at the confused group in front of them. "Anyway, you guys should probably leave Pern as soon as you get the chance. I don't want any of you to get in any trouble here," he told them.

" _They do have potential to Impress, Yusei,"_ Truth stated.

" _All of them?"_ Yusei responded. Truth gave a small nod.

" _I know your heart is conflicted, Yusei. Even if you don't want to acknowledge it,"_ Truth stated. And Yusei looked at her surprised. _"We are connected, Yusei. Perhaps we should let them stay until a hatching. See if they will Impress."_

" _And if they do?"_ Yusei asked.

" _Then they will have to stay here with you,"_ Truth responded. _"But then, at least, they'll have a dragon to protect and help them."_

"I can agree with Truth, Yusei," Deia stated.

"Alright," Yusei agreed.

"Agree on what?" Jack asked.

"You guys can stay here until the next hatching. That'll be between seventeen to nineteen sevendays from now," Yusei stated. "Then we'll see if you can Impress a dragon."

"What would happen if we can?" Akiza asked.

"Then you'll have to stay here," he replied.

"How do we even 'Impress' a dragon?" Crow asked putting air quotes around "Impress".

"You don't really do anything," Deia stated confusing them. "You don't convince them to choose you. They'll choose you on their own."

"By the way, Yusei, what happened to your marker?" Jack asked.

"Could ask the same thing to Crow," Yusei replied. They looked at Crow shocked and he seemed confused.

"Crow, where _are_ your markers?" Akiza asked.

"What do you mean?" he replied.

"Go look in the mirror," Yusei stated pointing to the mirror on the wall. Crow walked over and looked in it.

"How did…?" Crow stopped in shock.

"Probably happened when you came over here," Yusei stated. "Same thing happened to me. Don't know how, it just happened."

"Hey, Yusei, I just had a cool idea," Deia stated sounding a bit excited.

"What?" he asked.

"It's almost time for Vesoth's eggs to hatch. Maybe your friends could Impress one of the fire lizards," Deia suggested.

"What do you guys feel about that?" Yusei asked turning to them.

"How do we Impress them?" Crow asked. "Are they like the dragons where we do nothing?"

"No," Deia answered. "The first that's ever happened is with Yusei and Roth. But normally, you'll have to feed a baby when it just hatched. But you can't be aggressive or show fear of her or him."

"I want one!" Leo exclaimed.

"Can we really try, Yusei?" Luna asked hoping.

"Sure," he agreed. "Fire lizards are kind of like baby dragons. Though, like I had said in the forest, instead of verbally talking mentally, they can send you their emotions and pictures. Roth is full size male."

"How big are the hatchlings?" Akiza asked.

"About the size of your hand," Deia answered.

"How do we know when they'll hatch?" Jack asked.

"Vesoth and Roth will…" Deia was cut off as the two fire lizards flew off. "… fly off to them. Come on!" Irath shook his head in amusement and went down to the fire lizards' hatching ground in the Weyr with Truth while Yusei and Deia led the others down there. "Best thing is, a lot of the other riders are burning Thread. So you'll have an easier time getting one."


	7. Fire Lizards

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 7: Fire Lizards

They arrived in a room where the eggs were wobbling. Deia and Yusei handed the others some raw meat.

"Remember, don't be aggressive or show any fear," Yusei instructed. They nodded and kneeled down as fire lizards poked their small heads out.

A gold fire lizard came out and went to Luna who fed it the meat. It looked at Luna again before curling up in Luna's arms. The next was a bronze fire lizard heading to Jack. He seemed a bit nervous but that didn't deter the baby fire lizard who ate the meat and climbed onto Jack's shoulder. Another fire lizard, a green, went to Akiza who fed the small being and climbed into her hand. A brown baby fire lizard went to Crow who was Impressed by it. And another one went to Leo. It was a blue, little fire lizard. The last two went up to Yusei and Deia and they didn't need to do anything before they were Impressed with the fire lizards. Yusei's was a bronze and Deia's was a green.

Roth gently grabbed Yusei's new fire lizard and helped it onto Yusei's shoulder before landing on Yusei's other shoulder. Vesoth did the same with the other for Deia's shoulders.

"Can you guys feel the connection between your fire lizard and you?" Deia asked as she and Yusei held their lizards.

"Yeah," Luna answered. "It feels weird but at the same time… nice."

"Next step is to name them," Yusei stated.

Luna looked at her as did the others. "I think I'll name her Sayth," Luna stated.

"Where did you come up with that name, Luna?" Crow asked.

"I don't know. Kind of just… felt right," she answered.

"I think mine will be Tiath," Akiza stated and she laughed as her fire lizard played with her hair.

"You'll be Noth," Jack told the bronze.

Leo pet his fire lizard and said, "He'll be Lyth."

And Crow named his, saying, "He'll be Thoth." He looked back at the two riders. "What about yours?"

"My little green is Anath," Deia stated.

"And this little guy will be Rakoth," Yusei stated and the little ones nudged them happily.

"What matters now is staying with them and cementing the bond," Deia stated.

"The stronger the bonds, the happier your fire lizards will be," Yusei stated. A greeting call was shouted out from the watchdragon. "They're back. You guys should head back to the room. As soon as things calm down, you'll be able to meet the rest of the Weyr. Deia bring them back while I go check things out."

"Right," Deia agreed. "Come on, guys."

They followed Deia out as Yusei boarded Truth as they took off. He quickly landed where the dragons and riders were landing. He immediately noticed Noket getting off his dragon but fell to the ground in pain.

"Noket!" Yusei exclaimed and ran to him. He immediately asked as soon as he reached him, "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm fine," he replied. "Just got burned in the side."

Yusei looked at it and said, "We need to get some numbweed on that." He looked at B'rok as he walked up. "How bad was it?"

"There were a lot more than we expected," B'rok stated. "Luckily most of us made it out okay. But some had to land and there are some like Noket who need immediate help."

"Can you help me get the injured to the healers?" Yusei asked.

B'rok nodded. Yusei got Noket to his feet, allowing the bronze rider to lean on his shoulder. B'rok got a couple other uninjured bronze riders to help the injured and another went to let the healers know what was coming. Yusei looked at the amount of injured. Fortunately, there weren't too many.

Once all the injured had begun getting the numbweed put on them and being healed, Yusei met B'rok in the hall.

"Who were those new friends of yours?" B'rok asked.

"They aren't ' _new_ ' friends," Yusei replied. "They're my friends from my home world. I'm not sure how they got here."

"I see," B'rok responded.

"Truth, Irath, Deia, and I agreed that we should let them try to Impress. They already Impressed Vesoth's latest clutch," Yusei explained.

"And Truth believes they can Impress her clutch?" B'rok responded.

"Yes," Yusei answered.

"How do you feel about it?" B'rok asked.

"Nervous," he answered. "If they do Impress, they'll have to stay here. But that also means, they won't be able to see their families again."

"Where are they right now?" B'rok asked. "I would like to meet them."

"In my room with Deia," Yusei answered. "Follow me."

"Even though you have only become an official Weyrleader today, you have already proven yourself as a strong leader," B'rok stated as they took off to get to the room.

"How?" Yusei responded.

"As soon as we arrived, you asked for the information on the mission and then helped any injured to the healers so they could be helped," B'rok explained. "You cared for your Weyr immediately."

"I was just doing what I felt was right," Yusei responded shocked.

"As all good leaders do," B'rok stated. "During my time as Weyrleader, I found that listening to what I felt was right helped the Weyr. But I also kept in mind that I needed to pay attention to the Weyr's needs at the same time."

"I see," Yusei responded.

"You'll find out how to lead a Weyr in time, Yusei," B'rok stated. They landed, not looking at the group in front of them. "Being the rider of the senior queen, you will probably never leave the position of Weyrleader."

"I understand," Yusei responded. They turned to the group as they got off.

"Hello, B'rok," Deia greeted.

"Hello, Weyrwoman Deia," B'rok greeted back.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to being Weyrwoman," Deia stated.

B'rok turned to Yusei's friends. "So these are the friends I've heard about," he stated. "I must say, I'm surprised you did so much together. However, it could be the reason why Yusei's a natural leader."

"I wouldn't say I'm a natural leader, B'rok," Yusei responded.

"Oh, come on, Yusei!" Deia exclaimed. "Do you seriously still believe that? If there's one thing I've learned about you since meeting you, you're a leader and the type of leader you are isn't just made. You have to be born with it too."

" _She's right, Yusei,"_ Truth said.

" _Listen to your dragon and Deia,"_ Irath stated. Yusei gave a sigh, but kept a stoic face.

Luna gave a soft giggle as her gold fire lizard nudged her happily. "Your fire lizards always seemed to clutch a variety of the color of lizards, Yusei, Deia," B'rok stated.

"Yeah," Yusei agreed.

"It's pretty interesting," Deia stated and her fire lizards squished her face together with their heads and Yusei's did the same to him only it was more on his upper cheeks. They could feel the happiness from the mini dragons.

"I see Luna got a gold fire lizard," B'rok stated.

"How… do you know my name?" Luna asked.

"Yusei told B'rok, Noket, and I all about you guys and your adventures from before he came here. We know enough about you to know which one of you is who," Deia stated.

"What's so special about it being a gold?" Leo asked.

"A gold fire lizard is like a gold, or queen, dragon," Yusei stated. "However, any female fire lizard can clutch, though gold fire lizards can clutch the most eggs. Usually only the queen or gold dragons can clutch."

"Are all queen dragons supposed to be gold?" Luna asked.

"Yes," B'rok answered. "Truth was the first silver queen and the first queen to pick a male as her lifetime partner."

"Yusei's one lucky guy," Deia stated.

"Believe me, we know," Crow responded.

Yusei just rolled his eyes. Truth gave her mental laugh and Yusei looked at her. _"It isn't luck that made you who you are, Yusei. You are right about that,"_ she stated. _"Though one could consider you lucky from their side of things."_

" _You're right,"_ Yusei agreed with a grin.

B'rok grinned. "You and Truth just keep getting closer," he told Yusei making the new Weyrleader look at the former Weyrleader. "I wonder when you will ever be close enough."

"B'rok, I'm not sure a dragon and rider can ever be 'close enough'," Yusei responded and Deia nodded.

"He's right," she agreed. She walked over to Irath. "Irath and I can barely ever want to separate. Yusei and Truth, well, good luck separating them for long."

B'rok chuckled. "Very true. And when she clutches, I don't think Yusei will even be able to leave her," he agreed.

" _He's not leaving my side when_ that _happens,"_ Truth stated sternly. Yusei and Deia laughed at the comment.

"Yeah, I think Truth just confirmed that statement," Deia stated.

"Don't worry, Truth. I won't leave you," Yusei reassured, patting her neck in reassurance. He looked at the sun. "It's getting late. It'll be lights out soon. B'rok, do we have any open barracks for my friends until they Impress, if they do Impress?"

"Yes," B'rok answered. He turned to them. "Come, I will show you the way. You'll be in the lower barracks but you'll be able to see him whenever you get the chance."

"Alright," Jack agreed and they followed B'rok out.

Once they were out, Deia surprised Yusei by wrapping him in a hug. "Whoa, what's this about, Deia?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her back.

"We're Weyrwoman and Weyrleader now, Yusei! _We_ are!" she stated.

Yusei grinned. "I know," he responded.

Then, for the first time, Deia brought her lips to his. Yusei was shocked for a moment but slowly returned the kiss. Eventually though, Yusei pulled back from the kiss so they could breathe again. They just looked into each other's eyes.

"Extra bonus to being Weyrwoman and Weyrleader and since we're two different genders, this is _our_ room now," Deia stated after a couple minutes with a grin on her face.

Yusei chuckled a bit. "I know," he stated. He looked back at the sky before returning to the girl in his arms. "It's time to get some sleep."

Truth shook her head in amusement and went over to her corner with Irath. The little family of fire lizards went to the nest. The fire lizards and dragons curled up and fell asleep with ease. Truth was leaning against Irath who laid a wing over the queen. The mated fire lizards slept side by side with their young tucked into them. Deia and Yusei grinned at the sight before moving to get dressed.

Yusei changed into his nightly wear which was just night pants. He had discovered that some of the Lower Cavern staff had gotten Deia's clothes and personal items to his room while he was out flying, only letting Deia know _after_ it was placed in his room. Deia got into her nightgown which was a white dress with spaghetti straps.

They climbed in bed and Deia immediately set her face against Yusei's warm chest. Yusei tensed at the gesture at first but soon relaxed. It wasn't long before they were asleep.


	8. Death of a Friend

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 8: Death of a Friend

The next morning, Yusei and Deia woke up to the usual call of the watchdragon. He was basically the Weyr's alarm clock. They got up when the cry of a familiar dragon pierced the air. This woke Truth and Irath up instantaneously along with the fire lizards.

Yusei was immediately dressed followed by Deia. They boarded their dragons and took off, allowing their dragons to guide them to the crying dragon. Yusei and Deia landed near the healers' room and ran in. A group of riders, including Yusei's friends, stayed outside.

They looked as Ereth stared down at Noket. "Noket!" Yusei exclaimed.

"Yu…sei…" he called.

"The numbweed isn't helping him anymore and the burn was… in the wrong place," a female healer, Blaire, informed. "We've tried everything but he won't last much longer."

"Noket…" Deia muttered leaning over him. The entire Weyr knew how close Yusei, Noket, and Deia had gotten to each other. His rider name was changed to N'ket as expected but he had insisted Yusei and Deia continue to call him by his real name. And only riders who felt close enough to each other would permit the other friends to call them by their real name.

"Yusei, take care of Deia, okay?" Noket stated.

"I will, Noket. I promise," Yusei replied. Noket grinned and weakly held up his hand to Yusei who grabbed it strong. Yusei could feel Noket's heartbeat slow before it faded into nothing.

Deia turned into Yusei as Ereth flew out of the room and went _between_ to leave the world with his lifetime partner. B'rok herded the onlookers away and Deia turned as Noket's body was covered with a cloth.

"Noket…" she cried.

B'rok walked in. "It's my fault he even got burned," he stated.

"Why would you say that?" Yusei asked.

"I could've saved him from the Thread that got him. But I got preoccupied with another rider," B'rok explained.

"It wasn't your fault, B'rok," Yusei responded. "You were protecting other riders and you probably saved more. Noket had told me that if he had to die early, he would want it to be by battling Thread. He didn't want to die from any sickness or anything like that. He wanted to either die of age or die because he fought Thread."

"Just like a true rider," B'rok stated.

Deia nodded. "He was a true friend, too," she stated and Yusei nodded in agreement.

"Yusei, Deia, with the recent events, I would suggest you take the morning off. Allow yourselves to calm down and figure things out," B'rok suggested.

"Are you sure?" Yusei responded. "I am Weyrleader now so I shouldn't just shrug off my duties because a friend died. I don't think Noket would've wanted that."

"A Weyrleader needs to be able to make judgements on a clear mind. I had lost a close friend just a few weeks after I first became Weyrleader," B'rok responded. "I thought the same as you at the time. But the former Weyrleader and my coach, as you could say, told me to take some time off for the morning. I didn't listen and my saddened and clouded mind from the death of my friend caused many situations that I had to fix." Yusei looked down but understood. "I know it seems wrong right now, but it is for the best."

"Alright," Yusei agreed. Deia followed with a nod.

"I'll send a Lower Cavern staff member with breakfast to your room," B'rok stated.

"Thanks, B'rok," Yusei responded. B'rok nodded and left. Yusei turned to Blaire. "Thanks for trying to help him, Blaire," he told her.

"It's in my job, sir," she responded. "Besides, N'ket was a good rider. I just wished I could've done more for him."

"You did everything you could, Blaire," Deia told her. "That's what matters."

"Thanks," Blaire responded.

"And Blaire, you don't need to worry about calling me 'sir'," Yusei responded. "I'm fine just being called 'Yusei'."

Blaire grinned. "Alright," she agreed.

Yusei and Deia walked out and boarded their dragons before flying back to their room. When they arrived, they saw the food sitting on the table in the room. They began to eat, silent for a bit while their dragons went to eat at the Weyr bowl. It wasn't long though before Truth and Irath returned. Yusei and Deia fed the fire lizards who ate their food quick. The riders then ate their food for a bit before a knock on the door made them turn to it.

Yusei stood up and walked to it. He saw his friends standing there. "Come on in," he stated and walked back to where he finished eating. "What do you guys need?"

"Yusei, what happened with that dragon?" Luna asked.

"And who was that guy who died?" Jack added.

"The man's name was Noket. He became a rider at the same time as me and Deia. He was our closest friend here," Yusei explained. "He had been burned by Thread yesterday. His dragon's name was Ereth and they had a strong bond."

"So what happened when he died? Where did that dragon go?" Crow asked.

"When you Impress a dragon, you are connected to them by heart and mind," Deia explained. "Think of it this way, you have two hearts. Lose one, the other can't function."

"It's the reason I was reluctant to suggest you Impressing," Yusei stated. "If you die, your dragon will commit suicide by going _between_. And if the dragon dies, depending on the connection between the rider and dragon, the rider could die themselves just by the death of the dragon. But if they don't, usually dragon riders will commit suicide anyway. Losing a dragon is like losing your other half."

Truth walked up and nudged Yusei comfortingly. _"I won't be dying anytime soon, Yusei,"_ she stated. Yusei nodded with a grin and scratched her eyelid again.

"Yusei, to you, is it worth it to Impress a dragon when you are risking yourself dying?" Luna asked.

Yusei grinned. "More than worth it," he stated.

Luna chuckled as Sayth nudged her head again. "I already like having Sayth as my friend," she stated.

"What about you guys?" Deia asked looking at the others.

Thoth climbed up Crow's neck and sat in his hair like a nest making Yusei and Deia smirk. "Interesting," Crow answered. "Cool and amazing but more interesting."

"Tiath and I really enjoy each other," Akiza stated. "I'm happy I have her." Tiath played with Akiza's hair again making her giggle.

Leo laughed as Lyth played with his bangs. "I think it's pretty obvious," he stated.

Noth was calm but seemed like he was ready to pounce on Jack for fun. "Noth is definitely a strange gift. But I don't think I can imagine life without him already," Jack stated.

"Imagine what it'll be like with dragons," Deia stated.

Yusei turned to the fire lizards as Roth jumped onto his left shoulder and Rakoth got on his right. Deia had the same thing happen to her.

"How long will it be again until we get a chance to Impress?" Akiza asked.

"About seventeen to nineteen sevendays," Deia answered.

"Sevendays?" Leo asked.

"Pern's term for a week," Yusei clarified. "A month is four sevendays and a turn is a year."

"Okay," Crow responded. "That's when they'll hatch?"

"Yes," Yusei answered. "However, in about twelve to thirteen sevendays, Truth will clutch. And I'll probably be staying with her in the nesting grounds while she's there."

" _It's not a 'probably',"_ Truth said. _"You_ are _staying with me."_

" _Don't worry, I'll keep that promise,"_ Yusei responded with a grin.

Truth gave a small mental laugh. _"You better,"_ she stated.

Deia giggled. "You and Truth are so much alike and have such a close bond, I'm pretty sure that if there was a record, yours would be unbeatable," she stated. "And don't you try to deny it." Yusei shook his head while Truth gave a dragon grin.

A knock came at the door and they turned as V'raj came in with an alert face.


	9. Fights

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 9: Fights

"What's wrong, V'raj?" Yusei asked.

"It's Lorith and Verth," V'raj replied. "Their fighting and even B'rok can't break them up."

"What's causing the fight?" Deia asked.

"Their riders," V'raj asked.

"Mysteria," Deia groaned. "Come on, Yusei."

Yusei nodded and they boarded their dragons before taking off. Jack and the others ran down the halls, their fire lizards showing them the way without even needing to be asked.

Yusei and Deia found the two bronzes hovering and snapping at each other. Truth gave a warning roar and they stopped before backing away from each other. Irath hovered between them to keep them separated. Yusei looked at Mysteria and Verth's rider, F'iel.

"Okay, what's going on?" Yusei asked sternly.

B'rok stepped forward glaring at the two conflicting riders. "Mysteria here said some… vulgar things about you and Truth," he explained and Mysteria turned her head away. "F'iel was trying to stop her and it just got worse. I was trying to stop the two before it affected their dragons but by the time I arrived it was too late."

"Mysteria, F'iel, you guys need to cool down for a bit," Yusei stated. "F'iel, I understand and appreciate you were trying to defend me but fighting isn't the way to go."

"I apologize," he responded. "If you will excuse me, I will take my leave of this controversy." Yusei nodded and F'iel left. F'iel was an older bronze rider and was committed to the Weyr. Yusei had already learned how devoted he was to it and its leaders, so he understood F'iel's actions.

Yusei looked at Mysteria. "Mysteria, I don't want you flying for the rest of the day," he told her. Every rider knew that was a serious punishment. Even though it was small, it really could hit a rider's mind and send them the message. "Right now, you also need to cool off and just calm down."

"Yes, sir," she stated looking down a bit and her and Lorith walked away.

Yusei and Deia landed. "You handled that well, Yusei," V'raj stated.

"Indeed," B'rok agreed.

"Thanks," Yusei responded.

"That was a strong punishment for Mysteria. But it was one she deserved," B'rok stated.

"After what she said, she honestly deserves to be grounded for a sevenday," said another rider.

"I don't need to know what she said," Yusei stated. "As long as she understands the message I just sent her, she won't be saying anything similar anytime soon. Now that that's done, we should probably get back to daily duties. Just because there's one fight, it doesn't mean we should stray from our normal schedule, right?"

"Right," the others agreed and walked off.

B'rok stayed for a bit to say, "You'll be a strong Weyrleader on your own, Yusei. You already are."

"Thanks, B'rok," Yusei told him. B'rok nodded before leaving as well. Yusei turned with Deia as their friends walked over.

"What was all that about?" Jack asked.

"Mysteria got into a fight with F'iel," Deia answered. "I don't know how that girl ended up even as a candidate to Impress."

"How did they end up fighting?" Akiza asked.

"It's not very common for fights to happen between dragon riders," Yusei stated. "But Mysteria seems to like fights while wanting to be at the top. She's been trying to get me to like her so Truth will mate with Lorith and she'll become Weyrwoman. But because Truth mated with Irath this time, the likelihood of her choosing another dragon is small."

"B'rok said that she was speaking some 'vulgar' things about Truth and Yusei. F'iel is an experienced, devoted bronze rider," Deia continued. "He's dedicated to the Weyr and extremely defensive of its leaders. He doesn't tend to put up with anything negative being said about them. He usually gets those to stop easily and he doesn't have to get into fights. I'm not surprised that Mysteria ended up in a fight with him. If they got into a hand-to-hand combat battle, I don't think Mysteria would've made it against F'iel."

"Sounds like she's been pampered in my opinion," Crow stated.

"She has," Deia responded bluntly. "Mysteria is Ruatha's lord holder's daughter. She was actually mine and Noket's friend when we were younger. Then she got the idea that because she was the daughter of the lord holder and her father was treating her like a pampered puppy, she was better than everyone else and we grew apart ever since."

"And the first time I talked to her, she had a serious attitude at me because I Impressed Truth," Yusei added. "We don't get along very well."

"I thought you said it was peaceful here except during Threadfalls," Jack said.

"I said it was _pretty_ peaceful," Yusei responded. "And it usually is. But even in a place that is usually peaceful, it won't be completely peaceful. There will always be problems."

"Anyway…" Deia was cut off by Steta.

"Weyrwoman Deia, you still have some work to do learning on the responsibilities of being a Weyrwoman," the Headwoman stated walking up.

Deia gave an awkward face. "Right," she agreed. She looked back at Yusei. "I'll see you guys later," she said and gave Yusei a peck on the cheek making him give a light blush since his friends were watching. She then left with Steta with Irath following.

"You two are pretty close, aren't you?" Crow asked with a grin.

"Yeah," Yusei replied rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He then returned completely serious again. "You guys never had a chance to eat breakfast. If you head down the hall you came down you'll come up on the mess hall. You can get some food there."

"What about you?" Luna asked.

"I have some things I have to do," Yusei replied boarding Truth. "We can talk more later. Also, I think your fire lizards are hungry."

"Yeah, I noticed," Akiza responded. "I could feel it."

"You should probably get them something to eat too," Yusei responded. "The Weyr Bowl is on the level below us. If you need anything else, you can ask a Lower Cavern staff to come get me."

"How will we know who they are?" Crow asked.

"The server for the mess hall's food is a Lower Cavern staff. Lower Cavern staff all have a similar outfit so you'll know who they are after that," Yusei responded. "Now go ahead and get some breakfast." He then took off with that.


	10. Clutching

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 10: Clutching

12 Sevendays Later…

Yusei was walking through the halls with Luna who was asking questions about dragons. Yusei was surprised at how interested she was and answered the questions to the best of his ability. That's when he heard Truth cry out and he knew what was happening.

" _Yusei, can you come to the sands? Just… no one else,"_ Truth asked mentally.

" _Sure,"_ he answered. He looked at Luna. "Truth's clutching. I need to go. She doesn't want anyone else right now," Yusei told her. "Can you let the others know for me?" She nodded. Yusei then ran off.

He entered the sands and saw Truth panting as she began to lay her eggs. Yusei walked over and held her face. She looked at him seeming a bit strained.

"It's alright, Truth. I'm here," he whispered. "I won't leave you for anything."

She calmed a bit as he sat down beside her. There was a spot on the sands for the rider of the queen to sit by her while the queen clutched. The spot was cooled down so the rider wouldn't burn his or herself on the hot sands.

Yusei knew it could take several days before she finished and it was Irath's job to bring food for her when she needed it. But the bronze dragon was to leave right after it was delivered. But Yusei wouldn't leave Truth at all. He knew she needed him here and he wasn't going to leave her alone like this.

. . .

Luna went up to Jack, Akiza, Crow, and Leo who were hanging out in Jack's room with their fire lizards.

"Hey, Luna, thought you were with Yusei," Crow greeted.

"Truth just began clutching," Luna informed.

"Really? Where is he now?" Akiza asked.

"The hatching ground where the eggs are being laid. But he said Truth doesn't want anyone else around right now," Luna explained.

"That must've been that roar," Jack stated.

"Yeah," Leo agreed.

Deia walked in. "I thought I heard you guys in here," she stated. "Did you hear Truth?"

"Is she really laying her eggs?" Akiza asked.

"Yeah, but it'll be a while before they're all laid," Deia replied.

"How long does it take for a queen to clutch?" Leo asked.

"Depends on the amount," Deia responded. "But it can usually take several days."

"And Yusei will be with her that long?" Akiza responded shocked.

"I don't think you realize how close those two are. Or how close a dragon and rider can become. You'll learn yourself when you Impress," Deia replied. "When a dragon and rider are as close as Truth and Yusei, you can't do much that'll separate them. Especially in times like this."

"Will they even eat?" Crow asked.

"Irath, being the mated bronze, is tasked to bring food to Truth while she clutches. And being his rider, I'm the one who will bring Yusei food if he can't get it himself," Deia explained. "And knowing Yusei, he won't be moving from Truth until she's ready and done clutching."

"And what happens then?" Luna asked.

"After Truth's done clutching, she'll be pretty tied down to her nest of eggs. Won't go anywhere until Yusei gets her to go eat and bathe," Deia explained. "Truth will probably let him go and leave when he needs to or when she's eating and bathing herself. Other than that, you probably will only be able to see him in the hatching grounds."

"Deia, what's it like to be Impressed by a dragon?" Akiza asked.

"At first, it will feel a bit strange. It's one thing to have someone sending messages to you through pictures and emotions. But when you have someone who can know exactly what you're thinking, connected to you, and talk to you in your head, it can be a bit strange. But it doesn't take very long before instead of feeling strange, it feels like a gift. It feels… amazing," she explained. "You'll find out how it feels for you when you Impress. Because that's just general. Everyone has a different feeling when they Impress."

"How dangerous is it exactly to go burn Thread?" Crow asked.

"Extremely," Deia answered with a grim expression. "As you recall, Noket died due to a Thread burn. One mess up during a Threadfall and you could end up dead. Or you'll get someone else hurt. Talk to anyone who's had that happen to them. They'll tell you it's the biggest regret of their life."

"Has it happened to you?" Jack asked.

"Almost," she replied. "I was avoiding a Thread and nearly ran into another rider. It was my first Thread fall so thankfully they set it aside as a beginner's problem and didn't ground me during the next fall. After that, I made sure Irath and I didn't make that mistake again. Now we're one of the best fighters in our Wing. And to add to it, I was recently made Wingleader."

"After we Impress, what happens then?" Leo asked.

"Then you begin classes. You're taught what a dragonrider does, what you're meant to do, your job, and everything in between. Those who ride a gold get extra classes. But in those classes, you are also being sure to cement your bond with your dragon. Just like with your fire lizards," Deia explained and they glanced at their lizards who nudged them happily. "Cementing your bond with your dragon is probably going to be the most important thing you do as a weyrling."

"How long do classes take?" Luna asked.

"About seventeen to eighteen months," Deia answered.

"So Yusei had just gotten out of training when Truth mated with Irath?" Akiza asked.

"Same with me," Deia replied. "We Impressed at the same time."

"Really?" Akiza responded.

"Along with Noket and, unfortunately, Mysteria," Deia replied.

"You guys really don't like Mysteria," Crow commented.

"You don't know her like we do. When you do, you'll understand," Deia responded.

" _Deia, it's getting towards dinner. We should probably get some food to Yusei and Truth,"_ Irath called landing on the ledge.

" _Alright,"_ she agreed. She turned back to the rest of the people. "We have to go get some food for Yusei and Truth. I'll see you later."

"Can we come say 'hi'?" Leo asked.

"Sorry guys, but Truth doesn't want anyone around right now. The only thing I'm going to do is drop off food and then I have to leave," Deia replied. "Sorry." She boarded her dragon. "I'll see you guys later." Deia then took off and disappeared from sight.

"Don't you think it's kind of weird how our fire lizards show us pictures of people making them into dragons, yet now they just discovered what a telescope is?" Crow wondered.

"Yeah," Jack responded.

"I wonder what happened between then and now," Luna commented.

. . .

Deia landed with some food for Yusei in a bag and Irath had a bit of food for Truth in his mouth. Yusei looked at them and nodded in respect.

" _Thank you,"_ Truth told Irath. Irath gave her a comforting nudge before he and Deia took off again. _"Yusei, thank you staying with me like this."_

" _I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, Truth,"_ Yusei responded. _"You know that."_

Truth reached over and nudged Yusei affectionately. _"I don't know what I would do without you,"_ she stated.

" _I don't want to think of a life without you,"_ Yusei told her. _"Nothing will make me leave you, Truth."_ He took her head in his arms gently. _"I promise, Truth. I'll never leave you."_ She purred a bit in contentment. _"Now we better eat. You're probably hungry with you clutching."_

Truth gave a soft laugh. _"You know me well,"_ she responded and began to eat with Yusei following.


	11. From Eggs to Requests

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 11: From Eggs to Requests

5 Days Later…

Truth had finished clutching on the fourth day after the beginning of it. She was exhausted and Yusei didn't leave her side much. That evening, he had her get some food and bathe while he went to do the same. As soon as he was finished, Truth called him back.

Now, Yusei just sat next to Truth with her head on his lap as she slept rubbing her head in comfort. He noticed a couple Weyrbrat boys, Nitonat and Menissant, watching a bit interested. He grinned and waved them over. They smiled wide in excitement.

"Did she lay a queen?" Nitonat asked quietly.

"Yep," he answered and pointed to the large egg.

"Look at all the eggs," Menissant stated.

"I wouldn't touch them. They're still soft," Yusei stated.

Truth woke up and looked at the two boys. She leaned forward and blew some air on Nitonat making him laugh.

"Weyrleader, you have the best dragon," Menissant commented.

"Guys, you can just call me Yusei. And thanks, I think so too," he responded.

"You know, I'll be able to Impress next year," Menissant stated.

"Maybe you'll be able to Impress an egg then," Yusei responded. "Now you should better get going. Your foster parents are probably looking for you."

Nitonat rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, they probably are," he responded.

"Bye, Yusei, Truth!" Menissant called as they ran out.

" _Cute little ones,"_ Truth stated.

" _They're growing fast. Hard to believe that only two turns ago they were a lot smaller,"_ Yusei responded.

Truth laughed mentally. _"True,"_ she agreed.

" _Yusei, your friends wish to see you. Do you mind if they come up?"_ Irath called.

" _Good with you, Truth?"_ Yusei asked his dragon.

" _As long as they don't touch the eggs, I'm fine with it,"_ she replied.

" _Yeah, you can send them up, Irath. Just let them know they can't touch the eggs,"_ Yusei told Deia's lifetime partner.

" _Alright,"_ he agreed before going silent for a minute, probably relaying the message through Deia. The male dragon then said, _"They're on their way."_

" _Thanks, Irath,"_ Yusei called.

" _You're welcome,"_ he responded.

They waited for a bit before the others were in the room. Yusei stood up. "Hey, guys," he greeted.

"Hey," Akiza asked.

Leo looked at the eggs. "These look cool," he stated as he got closer.

" _Touch them and I'll eat you,"_ Truth threatened and gave a warning growl.

"Calm down, Truth," Yusei told her and she did but watched carefully. He turned back to the slightly nervous group. "Just don't touch the eggs. They're still soft and we don't want any of them to break."

"There are a lot of eggs," Crow stated.

"A queen can lay up to forty eggs, forty-one if there's a queen," Yusei informed. "That's why there is so many."

"Is there a queen?" Leo asked.

"Right there," Yusei stated gesturing to the largest one.

"That egg's bigger than the rest," Luna mentioned.

"That's because, if you haven't noticed, the queen is the largest dragon. Even when she just hatches," Yusei explained.

"How long does it take until they hatch?" Jack asked.

"Five or six sevendays," Yusei answered.

"Yusei, are you going to ever say your original terms again?" Crow asked.

"Probably not. And you'll probably end up doing the same. After all if you do Impress, you'll need to learn Pern's terms and written language," Yusei replied.

"How hard is it?" Leo asked.

Yusei shrugged. "Once you get the basics, it's pretty easy," he answered. "But that was just for me. It's different for every person."

"We heard from Deia that burning Thread is extremely dangerous. But what's it like?" Crow asked.

"Difficult. Each fall is a minimum of three hours long but it can feel like you've been burning Thread all day," Yusei replied. "You have to focus on keeping your dragons full of firestone so they flame while avoiding the Thread. The danger of burning Thread is another reason why I was reluctant to want you to Impress. Because you'll end up burning Thread at some point and I don't like that you'll be in that danger."

" _It'll be alright, Yusei,"_ Truth told him and nudged his side.

"Thanks, Truth," Yusei responded patting her head and then scratching her eyelid to comfort her. She purred as all dragons did in contentment.

"Yusei, when we first got here, you said Truth was the only one who could lay eggs. What about green dragons? Those are female, right?" Luna asked.

"They are. But their bodies are a bit different. While using firestone won't make a queen sterile, it can mess with the eggs. But with greens, since they use firestone, they're sterile. They do rise but they can't lay eggs," he explained.

"That's different," Crow responded. He then thought of something and asked it, "Yusei, if dragons come from fire lizards like you and everyone think, then wouldn't the people who changed them only God knows how long ago have to have used some sort of genetic mutation?"

"That would make the most sense," Yusei replied.

"Then how did they technologically devolve so much? It would take a large amount of technological advancements to be able to do something like that," Crow asked.

"I can't answer that because I don't know," Yusei responded. "No one does. It's been a plaguing mystery here that will probably never be solved."

"Hey, Yusei, is it possible that we won't Impress a dragon?" Luna asked.

"It's a rare occasion for that to happen. It doesn't happen very often unless there is an extra for a bronze or queen. Even then it's rare," he answered. "So the likelihood of you not Impressing is too slim to truly consider."

"Yusei, maybe you could give us a head start on our lessons," Leo suggested making everyone turn to him.

"What do you mean?" Yusei asked. "I can't exactly start you on your dragon lessons. That wouldn't be right."

"Maybe the reading and writing," Luna suggested. "So we'll have an easier time with it."

" _Go on, Yusei. It'll definitely make things easier for them. The Weyrlingmaster can be kind of strict with weyrlings in that class,"_ Truth stated.

" _And you do realize that'll mean I'll have to leave you quite a bit for a good deal of time, right?"_ Yusei responded looking at her.

" _I'll be fine, Yusei. You know if anything happens, I'll call you,"_ Truth reassured.

" _Okay, if you're really okay with it,"_ he agreed. He turned back to the waiting group. "Alright, if you want, I can teach you the rundown on reading and writing Pernese," he told them. "It's better you know most of it now before you get to the Weyrlingmaster. He's a bit… strict."

"Like, how strict?" Akiza asked.

"As long as you behave and work hard, you won't get yelled at. It's the same in dragon class," Yusei replied. "But it's with good reason. If you slack off and don't work hard, you could present a serious problem while burning Thread." He looked at the twins. "By the way, how much longer until you're sixteen?"

"About a year, why?" Luna replied.

"Because there is an age minimum for a rider to be before they can go burn Thread," Yusei explained and they looked at him confused. "You have sixteen before you can go burn them. Once you're sixteen, you're required to go battle Thread. I was hoping you would have a bit longer but it seems as soon as you're done with your lessons, you will be going out to burn Thread."

"We'll be alright, Yusei. Don't worry about us," Luna reassured him. Yusei sighed, obviously still nervous and unsure.

" _They'll be alright, Yusei. They are as strong as you,"_ Truth told him. _"I'm going to go get some food. Alright?"_ He looked at her and nodded. She flew out to go to the hunting ground.

"Where is she going?" Jack asked.

"To the hunting ground. She needs some food," Yusei answered. "She'll be back in a couple minutes." They nodded in acceptance.

"Are you going to eat?" Crow asked.

"I'm not too hungry at the moment. I'll be fine," he answered calmly.

"Yusei, if Truth's eating, so should you," Akiza responded.

Yusei sighed. "Alright," he agreed and let Truth know before following them out.

Jack suddenly asked, "Yusei, you do know how long you were gone at New Domino, right?" He looked at them confused.

"Yusei, you were gone for nearly five years," Akiza told him shocking the Weyrleader.

"How much did I really miss there then?" Yusei asked.

"Other than a couple tournaments, not much," Crow answered.

"That only means your families will see you as missing for that much longer. Are you certain you want to Impress and risk never seeing them again?" Yusei asked.

"We're sure, Yusei," Akiza answered. He slowly nodded in acceptance but it was obvious he was unsure about it himself. They entered the mess hall and began eating, talking about other topics.


	12. Hatching

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 12: Hatching

Six Sevendays Later…

There were several candidates getting ready to try to Impress a dragon. Akiza and the others were talking to a few candidates and Yusei noticed Luna talking to one who seemed to have already taken a liking to the young girl.

" _Are you ready, Truth?"_ Yusei asked his dragon mentally.

" _Send them in. They'll be hatching any second,"_ she replied and Yusei called for them to enter.

The lord holders and harpers gathered around with B'rok, Deia, and Yusei standing in the front to watch. Slowly the dragons came out of the eggs. A green went to Luna, a brown went to Jack, and a blue went to Leo. A bronze went to Crow and another blue went to the boy Luna was talking to. The dragons quickly found their riders and when the queen hatched, it looked around a bit before going to Akiza and Impressing with her.

' _So Akiza ended up with a queen? Not very surprising in my opinion,'_ Yusei thought. _'Other than Luna, she was more into and wanting to know more about dragons than the others. But she's still quite young for a queen rider.'_

Akiza held her dragon closely as it rubbed into her. Yusei took a deep breath, "Alright, alright!" he called to tame the crowd. "Let them go clean and feed their dragon!" The lords and harpers agreed and hurried off to the mess hall. "Akiza," he called and she looked at him, "take care of her, alright?"

She grinned in agreement. "Right!" she agreed.

"Go ahead and catch up to the others. You need to clean her and get your queen some food," he instructed.

" _Come on, Akiza,"_ the hatchling said.

"By the way, her name's Veraeth," Luna told Yusei. He nodded before she ran off.

Yusei walked to where some lords and craftsmen were waiting, all expressing needs to talk to him.

"What's up?" Yusei asked them.

"That girl who Impressed the queen…" a lord holder, Netosan, paused. "She is so young."

"Do you believe she is ready for the responsibility?" a craftsman, named Etat, asked.

"I can't tell you that for a fact. Her queen is the one who decides whether she is ready and worthy to become a queen rider. I believe she's ready. But only time and her own showing of experience will tell if she was ready to take on this responsibility," Yusei replied.

"Very true, Yusei," B'rok stated walking up. "You all must remember, it is the dragon who chooses the lifetime partner. It is up to the dragon's judgement to decide who is worthy to be their rider."

"Right," they all agreed.

"I have to go check on the new weyrlings," Yusei stated. "There are refreshments in the mess hall as with every hatching. I will meet you back there."

"Thank you, Yusei," the lords and craftsmen stated as they walked away. B'rok nodded in respect before following the others.

Yusei walked into the hatchling cleaning area to check on the new weyrlings as he said. He was supposed to as Weyrleader. He saw that each of his friends were doing fine, but saw a couple new blue and green riders were scrubbing a bit hard. He walked over to them as they were beside each other. They looked at him as he kneeled down to their eye level.

"You should scrub your dragons a little softer," he told them. "If you scrub them too hard, you can irritate the skin and that may cause some problems later on."

"Alright," the blue rider agreed while the green nodded.

"Thank you," the green stated. Yusei gave them a nod as they began to scrub their dragons again, but more gentle and soft. He then walked off to check on others who were having a bit of problems.

Some of the dragons were restless and he helped the weyrlings calm them down and showing them how to bond with their dragon enough to keep them calm. Other than that, it was mainly just how they were cleaning their dragons.

After that was resolved and everyone was done, he led them to where they would feed their dragons. As their dragons ate, Yusei turned to his friends from his world. Luna was talking to the boy again and Akiza was talking to a bronze rider. He walked over.

"Weyrleader," the bronze and blue rider greeted.

"Guys, you can just call me Yusei. Don't worry about any sort of formalities," he kindly corrected. They nodded in acceptance.

"By the way, I am V'rax," the blue rider introduced. "And my blue dragon is Indoth." Yusei nodded, and he also noticed V'rax was Luna's age by what he could tell.

Yusei looked at the bronze rider who also introduced himself and his dragon, "I'm T'raz, and he's Atoth."

" _Hello, Yusei,"_ Atoth and Indoth greeted. Yusei nodded at them as a greeting back.

"Can you hear them too?" V'rax asked.

"Yep," Yusei answered. "I've been able to for a while now." He looked at his friends. "What're your dragons' names?"

"My bronze is Tasonath," Crow introduced as the little dragon came up from eating.

"She's Seraith," Luna followed as her smaller, green dragon hopped into her arms.

"My brown is Leth," Jack stated.

"He's Ezuth," Leo followed petting his blue dragons' head.

"And you know Veraeth," Akiza stated struggling a bit to hold the heavy hatchling. The young green was tucked up against Akiza's chest with her eyes closed in contentment as she listened to Akiza's heart.

A young, green rider walked up. Yusei recognized her as one of the older Weyrbrats and one that Leo had gotten along with during his time here. She was the same age as Leo. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey, Maya," Yusei responded. Leo nodded back with a grin.

"I thought I heard you guys naming off your dragons," she stated.

"Who is yours?" Akiza asked.

"Seiayth," Maya answered with a grin.

Deia walked over with a small grin. "Take care of your dragons. You already are making strong bonds with them. Don't let it fade out. You'll need a strong bond to help you here," she told the weyrlings.

"Right," they all agreed.

The Werylingmaster, Fa'ter, came up to Yusei. "What do you think of this lot? Some I'm questioning," he asked the Weyrleader, glancing at a couple younger riders who were talking to their dragons and laughing.

"Give them the right push and they'll straighten out," Yusei answered. "If they want to become proper riders, they will need to be reminded of the responsibilities of them."

Fa'ter humphed an agreement. He looked at Akiza. "Most of the queens we've had in the past died because their riders were, in all reality, unworthy and ignorant," he told her sternly. "Don't make the same mistake." He walked away with that.

"Who was that?" Crow asked.

"That's the Weyrlingmaster," Deia answered. "His name's Fa'ter. We warned you, he's strict and doesn't put up with slackers too much. So, word of the wise, don't mess around."

"Don't worry," V'rax assured. "I'm sure we all know of the responsibilities we have now and that we can't take them lightly." The others nodded.

"Good," Yusei responded. "Just make sure you don't forget them."

"If your training doesn't drill it into your heads, at least," Deia added. Yusei smirked.

Truth and Irath walked up behind them and Akiza's gold looked up at Truth with admiration. Akiza grinned a bit as Yusei heard Veraeth say to her, _"Is that what I'll become?"_

" _You won't be silver, but yes,"_ Akiza answered. Veraeth gave a telepathical, child-like laugh and returned herself into her original position.

"You two already have a strong bond," Yusei stated. "That's a good thing." Akiza gave a small smile and nodded a bit, turning to the dragon in her arms.


	13. Second Mating

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 13: Second Mating

14 Months Later…

It had been fourteen months since Truth's clutch hatched. In those thirteen months, a lot had changed.

Akiza and Yusei's friends had grown close to their dragons and fire lizards. V'rax had Impressed a bronze fire lizard of his own named Koth. T'raz had Impressed a brown lizard named Adeth. And Maya Impressed a brown fire lizard named Nyth.

Also, Leo and Maya had started dating and it was the same between Akiza and T'raz, as well as Luna and V'rax. Yusei never expected that to happen, but it did and Deia seemed happy for them as much as he was. Meanwhile, Yusei and Deia had gotten closer and closer ever since Truth's mating flight with Irath. And they were alright with that.

Now, Yusei had gone to bed that night knowing what was coming soon. It was still four months before his friends' training was done with their dragons and four months until Akiza's queen rose to mate. But Tomorrow would mark the eighteenth month since Truth's first mating flight.

He knew well from his lessons that a queen's mating flights are regulor and would be spaced out according to the first mating flight and the age of birth. So he knew tomorrow would be Truth's next mating flight. He knew that when he was keeping Truth from going between, his mind was practically merged with her. So he knew he would be growling and panting as Truth would be.

As they got ready for bed, Deia came and wrapped her arms around Yusei. "Are you worried about tomorrow?" she whispered so she wouldn't wake the sleeping dragons.

"I'm worried about how my friends will react to seeing me when I'm keeping Truth from going _between_ ," Yusei answered. "Other than that, not really."

"They'll be fine, Yusei. Especially since it'll prepare Akiza for what she'll most likely be like during her first mating flight," Deia assured.

Yusei grinned and brought her a bit tighter. "I know. Thanks," he told her.

"Let's get some sleep," she told me, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the bed. "We'll need the rest for tomorrow." Yusei nodded and climbed in bed with his girlfriend at his side. "Do you think Irath will be able to catch Truth again?"

"Remember, since Irath caught her last time and due to the clutch he gave her last time, Truth will only allow Irath to catch her this time," Yusei responded, leaning on his left shoulder to look above her a bit. "Especially with us being this close like this, it also affects who she goes for."

Deia grinned and pushed him down while leaning over his side a bit. She leaned down and kissed him which he returned in an instant. When she pulled back, she whispered, "Good. Because I want to stay with you, Irath, and Truth like this for as long as possible."

Yusei gave her a comforting grin before he slowly and gently pulled her down beside him. It wasn't long, though, before they fell asleep.

. . .

The next morning, Yusei and Deia awoke to Truth yelling out her mating call. The bronzes immediately responded as Yusei got dressed with Deia and ran downstairs. Everyone came out to watch and B'rok immediately met Yusei in the hall.

Truth flew down to the hunting grounds and caught a Herdbeast. Yusei immediately called to Truth, _"Enough, Truth! You've had enough!"_

His dragon stopped and sprinted into the air. Yusei knew Crow's bronze was too young still to take flight after a queen. But he immediately turned his focus on keeping his queen in the area.

Jack, Crow, Akiza, and the twins ran over, seeming a bit shocked at Yusei's actions. Jack asked B'rok, "What's wrong with Yusei?"

"This is what happens with a queen rider during the queen's rise," B'rok explained. "They have to basically be one with the mind of their dragon to keep her from going _between_. Queens will often growl and hiss at the bronzes while they try to catch her. This also means, with their minds so closely linked at this time, the rider will act similar."

"So I'll be doing the same thing when Veraeth rises?" Akiza asked.

"Yep," Deia answered bluntly.

They all turned to see Irath catching up to Truth. And in that second of being close, Irath finally caught the queen dragon and wrapped his neck around hers as the normal lock as they would. They fell towards the ground in that lock. When they neared the ground, they separated from themselves taking flight again. V'raj came and took Truth to the Weyrbowl and Yusei opened his eyes, calming down.

"Nicely done, Yusei," B'rok told him. "You were quick to learn the first time and you have mastered mating flights already."

"Thanks, B'rok," Yusei responded. He looked at his friends. "I hope me being like that during the mating flight didn't bother you."

"We were confused at first, but we get it now," Crow responded.

Yusei looked at Akiza and said, "Don't worry about what'll happen during your mating flight, Akiza. It's natural. And if you don't get that close, your queen will go _between_ and you'll lose her forever." She nodded in acceptance.

"Let's go check on Truth," Deia suggested. "I'm sure she wants to see you."

Yusei grinned and nodded. They quickly walked off and Yusei asked, "I'm guessing Irath caught Truth again?"

"Yep!" Deia answered happily.

"It'll probably never change," B'rok answered. "I'm sure that's why you knew so easily."

"I do ride a queen, B'rok," Yusei responded. The male bronze rider chuckled in amusement.

They entered the Weyrbowl where Truth turned to them. She slowly leaned her head against Yusei's chest as he held her gently. _"I hope I didn't cause as much trouble as last time,"_ she told him.

" _Truth, no matter how you act during a mating flight, it's with good reason. I could never hold you against anything due to that,"_ Yusei assured. _"You never cause any trouble for me. Remember that."_

" _I will, Yusei,"_ Truth responded as she took her head away and looked at him.

Deia smirked. "You two… every time you and your dragon talk, Yusei, I hear nothing but further bonding coming from it," she stated and Yusei chuckled slightly. Veraeth, Tasoneth, Leth, Ezuth, Atoth, Indoth, Seraith, and Seiayth came up and greeted their riders happily before greeting Truth as well and complimenting her on her mating flight. Ezuth nudged Leo happily and Veraeth touched her head to Akiza's chest as Akiza held her head. The rest of the dragons did something similar to their riders. Yusei had to admit, they had truly bonded to their dragons well and their bonds were strong. "And your guys' bonds are strong as well, and they're getting stronger."

"Thanks, Deia," Akiza stated with a small smile.

"Now, remember, Akiza, a queen will rise between a turn and a half to two turns after hatching," Yusei reminded. "So Veraeth will rise between the next four months and the next ten months."

"Right," she agreed.

" _And I will hope I do not trouble you too much during my flight,"_ Veraeth told Akiza.

" _No matter what happens, you won't,"_ Akiza responded mentally. Yusei grinned hearing their conversation.

"So, you said greens rise as well, right?" Maya asked.

"Yes," Deia answered. "However they're sterile and do not lay eggs. Also, unlike queens, they laugh and taunt blues and browns for them to catch her. As you know, queens growl and try to ward them off."

"How often do they rise?" Luna asked.

"About every month to two months," Yusei answered shocking them. "Another reason greens are different from queens when it comes to rising is that multiple greens can rise at once."

"What happens if a queen rises at the same time as another queen?" Crow asked.

"Very bad things," Deia answered vaguely.

"Queens are very territorial, especially during a mating flight. With their emotions all over the place, queens will kill other queens, seeing each other as competition," Yusei explained shocking them further. "It's why there are different Weyrs. Some queens from different Weyrs will rise at the same time, so the queens stay at their separate Weyrs at that time so they won't kill each other. In the past, we've lost queens because some queen riders from other Weyrs who weren't Weyrwoman wanted the power of a Weyrwoman and tried to kill the queen of the Weyrwoman, take her place. Usually, queens in the same Weyr will be born at so many different times, they will rise at different times, meaning the queens there won't have to go to different Weyrs."

"So Akiza, you won't have to worry about Veraeth rising at the same time as Truth and that deadly fight beginning. They're too separate in age and mating times for that to happen," B'rok told her.

"Right," she agreed. "I just started my mating flight lessons today. So I'll be learning about that again soon."

"Good," Yusei responded. "Speaking of which, you better get to your classes. It's almost time for them." The weyrlings nodded and left.

"Akiza is certainly a worthy individual of a queen. Versaeth was right to choose her," B'rok stated.

"Yeah. But they haven't been through a fall yet," Yusei responded. "I just hope they'll be able to get through one well."

"They are almost done with their training. We can only hope they'll make it through," Deia agreed. "I've already asked for Jack and Crow to be a part of my wing. And I've heard F'iel has asked for Leo and Luna to be with him. Once Akiza finishes her extra lessons, I'm sure you'll want her as your group, Yusei."

"Yeah," Yusei agreed. "It's best to have a young queen rider with an experienced queen."

"If only you could've had such luck as to have an experience queen rider to learn from," B'rok stated. "But you were able to be fine without one. You truly have skill in many places, Yusei."

"Thanks," he responded. "But with Truth going to be with her clutch by the time Versaeth goes to burn Thread, I won't be able to be there for the first flight. Deia, can you have her in your wing for that?"

"Sure," Deia agreed. "I understand why you won't be able to."

"There is the very small chance that Truth's clutch will hatch before that day, being that it is only about four months until her clutch will hatch," B'rok stated. "And Akiza and Versaeth's lessons will be done in about four months as well. So if we are lucky, you'll be able to be up there with Akiza."

"Right," Yusei agreed.

Deia giggled slightly and asked Yusei, "Do you think you'll be able to leave Truth's side when she's clutching, Yusei?"

Before Yusei could answer himself, Truth answered, _"No, he won't."_

Yusei smirked and told her, "Don't worry. You know I wouldn't do that."

" _Hey, Truth, do you think Irath and I will be able to stop by then and there without bringing you food while you're clutching? Last time, Irath was really sad he couldn't be by your side more,"_ Deia asked Yusei's dragon mentally.

" _Deia! I thought we agreed to keep that a secret from her!"_ Irath intervened jokingly.

Yusei, Deia, and Truth laughed a bit. _"I suppose it shouldn't be a problem if it isn't too often,"_ Truth agreed. Yusei gave her a reassuring grin and pat her neck as another method of reassurance. Truth looked at him. _"Come on, Yusei. Steta had said she wanted us to talk to Akiza about mating flights from our perspective."_

Yusei nodded. _"Alright,"_ he agreed. He relayed the message to Deia and B'rok and they let him go with him boarding Truth and taking off.


	14. Foreboding

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 14: Foreboding

4 Months Later…

It had been four months since Truth's second mating flight, and she once again had a good clutch: Seventeen green eggs, thirteen blue, six brown, four bronze, and one gold. Veraeth had shown no signs of mating within the next month, so Yusei knew it would be another couple months before Veraeth rose.

At the moment, Truth was at the hatching grounds watching over the eggs with Yusei by her side as expected. _"How much longer until you think they'll hatch?"_ Yusei asked his dragon.

" _A couple more days at most,"_ Truth answered. _"Are you worried about Akiza?"_

Yusei sighed. _"Yeah. Conditions of the direction of the Red Star are saying there will be a Threadfall today,"_ he explained. _"I'm just worried about her being the only queen out there and with no others to help her."_

" _Deia will be there and you know those two get along well,"_ Truth assured. _"And Deia's also said to be one of the best Wingleaders and Weyrwoman in history. With her beside Akiza, it'll be okay, I'm sure."_

Yusei grinned at her. _"You're probably right. I'm just worried, that's all,"_ he agreed.

" _I understand, Yusei,"_ she responded, nudging into Yusei. The watchdragon called out signalling a Threadfall.

Deia and Irath landed in front of them hurriedly. "Threadfall, Yusei," Deia told him. "I'm taking Akiza for you, like I promised."

"Thanks, Deia," Yusei responded. "I appreciate it."

"Hey, it's in my job description!" Deia responded jokingly. "I'll see you later, Yusei!" She and Irath took off with that, followed by her Wing and Akiza.

. . .

They neared the fall and Deia asked Akiza, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"Good," Deia responded. "This will be a hard, long battle. So be ready."

"Right," Akiza agreed and they turned as they came out.

They saw the Thread falling from the sky and immediately fed their dragons the firestone to burn the falling organisms. Deia went to burn some Thread, but made sure to keep an eye on Akiza. She noticed a Thread get dangerously close to Akiza and immediately burned it away, the heating barely grazing the new queen rider.

"Thanks, Deia," Akiza responded to the move.

"No problem," she responded. "Remember, keep your eyes out and stay focused. I won't be there to protect you every time."

"Right," Akiza agreed and turned back to the fighting.

The burning of Thread went on for a couple more hours without many other issues. Some other riders got a couple burns in the arm. It wasn't until Deia heard Jack call out in pain, that she turned to him. He had gotten a good sized burn across his entire upper arm, that created a large burn mark.

Irath flew over to him and Deia asked the brown rider, "Are you alright, Jack?"

"Yeah," he answered holding his arm a bit.

Deia noticed the Thread were lightening up and soon disappeared. As such, she called, "Alright, riders, looks like we're done for now. Let's head back and get our injured healed."

"Right!" the rest agreed and flew back.

When they arrived, Deia helped Jack and other hurt riders to the healers so they could get some numbweed on their injuries. Once they were getting checked on and helped, Deia walked to the others and met Akiza, Crow, and the twins.

"You guys make it out okay?" she asked them.

"Yeah," they agreed.

"Thanks again for the help, Deia," Akiza added again.

"No problem. As Weyrwoman and Wingleader, I need to protect you and my Weyr's riders," she responded and Akiza smiled in agreement.

" _Deia, why don't we go let Truth and Yusei know about what happened during the fall?"_ Irath suggested to his rider.

"Alright," Deia agreed. She turned to her otherworldly friends. "Irath and I are going to go check and Truth and Yusei and let them know about the aftermath status with the Threadfall. We'll see you later."

"See ya, Deia," Akiza called.

"Hey, Deia," called Lyra's voice stopping her. Lyra was about Jack's age and was a good friend of Jack's as well. She was Weyrborn and was highly expected to become a rider this hatching. Deia turned to her as she walked up. "I noticed Jack head into the healers room. Is he alright?"

"He should be fine. Just got a good sized Threadburn on his arm," she answered. "Don't worry. From what I could tell, he didn't get burned in any bad spots." Lyra sighed in relief. "Anyway, I gotta go talk to Yusei and Truth." She boarded Irath. She looked at them and said, "I'm sure once it's calmed down, Blaire and the other healers won't mind you coming to check in on Jack. Once again I'll say it: 'See ya'!" She took off with that.

Irath and Deia quickly landed in the hatching ground where Yusei and Truth were waiting. Yusei immediately asked after Deia gave him a greeting kiss, "How bad was it?"

"Not too bad. Didn't have anyone who needed to land and only a few got hurt," Deia explained. "One of those who got hurt _was_ Jack. But he just got burned on his arm, so he should be fine."

"At least it isn't bad," Yusei responded. "I was worried that you and the other riders would be in worse trouble."

Deia smirked and teasingly asked, "Do you doubt my leadership skills?"

Yusei smirked back and asked, "Now, why would I ever do that?"

Deia leaned against Yusei's chest while he wrapped his arms around her. "Yusei, do you think we'll be like this forever? Me, you, Irath, Truth? We'll be like this, together, for as long as we live, right?" she slowly asked.

"I hope so," Yusei answered and lightly kissed the top of her head.

. . .

 _ **At Fort Weyr…**_

A man stood across from a young woman who had come from the Benden Weyr. "Here are the herbs," the man stated handing over a bag. "Remember, once you do this, there is no turning back. If this is discovered, there will be nowhere for you to hide."

"I know, sir," the woman responded. "Once I have the queen, the position of Weyrwoman at the Benden Weyr is mine."

"Yusei Fudo and his queen Truth are the most respected and said to be the strongest dragon and rider in history," the man told her. "Be careful. Tread cautiously, and strike swiftly."

The woman nodded before walking away from the area, getting ready to head back to the Benden Weyr.


	15. Fly in the Nest

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 15: Fly in the Nest

2 Sevendays Later…

Yusei was helping Steta train the new queen rider, Lyra. Though Lyra was well expected to Impress Truth's clutch, no one expected her to have a queen which was named Florith. But it happened and Steta had asked for Yusei to help train Lyra about mating flights and help her better understand her duties as a queen rider.

"Yusei, how does it feel when your queen has risen?" Lyra asked.

"Strange. Though you have your own mind which you are using to keep your queen here, most of your mind is locked with your queen's. It feels like most of your mind isn't your own for that short span of time of your queen rising," Yusei explained. "You just have to be ready for when she rises." Lyra nodded.

"Now, as a queen rider, you have many responsibilities," Steta began. "Even though only Weyrwoman or, in Yusei's case, Weyrleader will ever have complete leadership roles of Benden Weyr. Especially when it comes to Florith clutching."

"I figured as much," Lyra answered. "It only makes since as a queen clutching is one of the most important things for a Weyr."

Steta grinned in approval. "Correct. If a queen does not clutch and it is the next in line for their rider being Weyrwoman, there will be no way for eggs to be laid," she stated. "Now, you also must remember, depending on the size of the brown, browns can also catch a queen."

"They can?" Lyra questioned.

"It is very rare for that to happen," Steta responded. "After all, very few browns are ever large enough to try to catch a queen. However, Jack's is very well known as one of the largest. It amazes me that Leth hasn't tried yet."

"Maybe he's waiting for the right queen," Lyra reasoned.

"Probably," Yusei agreed.

Florith switched positions on Lyra's shoulder making her smile in amusement. _"What's so funny?"_ the young gold asked.

" _Nothing. You just never seem to be comfortable on my shoulder,"_ Lyra replied.

" _It's not that I'm not comfortable. I just don't like staying in one position for too long,"_ Florith responded.

Lyra laughed slightly. _"Alright,"_ she agreed.

"You and Florith are certainly creating a strong bond," Yusei told her and the two turned to him. "That's good."

"But you and Truth are still probably the closest dragon and rider…" she paused for a moment before adding, "ever."

"That's what a lot of people say," Yusei responded. "But we're only this close because we care about each other with everything we have and care about our bond that we have just as much. If you care for Florith like that, you'll form as strong a bond as Truth and I."

"You really think so?" Lyra asked and Yusei nodded with a small grin. "Thanks, Yusei."

The discussions continued for a while with Steta explaining things and Yusei adding on and answering most of Lyra's questions. Once class was finished, Yusei left to go do some things as Weyrleader and Steta walked off after her dragon told her that Fa'ter needed help with some green riders.

Lyra stood up and walked out. She slowly looked at the pouch in her pocket. She sighed in contemplation.

" _When do you plan to do it?"_ Florith asked her rider.

" _Sooner rather than later,"_ Lyra answered.

. . .

That night, Yusei was eating dinner with Deia in their room. Suddenly, though, Yusei collapsed onto the ground.

"Yusei!" Deia called and ran to his side. Truth was immediately at Yusei's side in concern. "Yusei, come on! Wake up!" He didn't even budge. Irath came over and looked at the food. He smelled it for a moment before growling angrily. "What is it, Irath?"

" _His food was poisoned,"_ he stated.

"Poisoned?!" Deia exclaimed. "Truth, help me get him to the healers." She nodded and Deia got on her back with Yusei in her worried and terrified arms. They took off as soon as they were on.

They were quick to arrive at the healers where Blaire came out. She immediately noticed Yusei and asked, "What happened?"

"According to Irath, Yusei's food was poisoned," Deia answered.

"Poisoned?" Blaire responded shocked and worried. "Bring him inside. Hurry!" Deia carefully got Yusei off Truth and Blaire helped carry him to a medical bed. Truth immediately laid down beside Yusei's bed, concern and fear on her face. Blaire took his vitals before saying, "He's stable for now. Whoever did this just put enough poison to put him into a coma. But… I'm not sure if he'll ever wake up. Bring us the food. We'll find out what type of poison they put into it."

Deia nodded and flew off to grab it while Blaire continued to check Yusei's condition. When Deia was back, she handed the food. Some doctors who specialized in poison at the Weyr immediately looked at it and worked to find out.

One finished and said, "Someone put Aconite in his food."

"Aconite?" Blaire responded. "Not only is that deadly, but it is extremely hard to find."

"That means whoever did this really wanted him to die or never wake up or else they wouldn't have gone through the trouble of getting it," Deia stated. "But who would do this? And why?"

"That's a good question," Blaire replied. "As much as Mysteria doesn't like you guys, she knows the consequences and wouldn't go this far. She was still hoping for Irath to catch Truth at some point."

"I know. So it is obviously not Mysteria," Deia agreed. "But if they have more Aconite, the likelihood of them going after Akiza is high. She would be next to take the position of Weyrwoman, but she's also seen as extremely young to do so. I've heard people being worried if she ever took control."

"Either way, until we find out who this person is, we'll need to keep Yusei under careful surveillance. If they were intending on him dead instead of just in a coma, they may come back to finish the job. Added, he will need to be watched in case he starts to go under at some point," Blaire responded. "But other than keeping Yusei with us, our next priority is to find whoever did this before they can cause more harm."

"Right," Deia agreed.

They heard someone step in and turned to see Jack, Akiza, and the others run in. "We saw Truth flying with Deia holding Yusei. What happened?" Akiza asked as other riders in the Weyr gather around outside to listen.

"He's been poisoned with Aconite," Blaire explained.

The riders began to whisper outside shocked and worried while Luna asked, "What's Aconite?"

"It's a deadly plant on Pern. We're lucky he's hanging on like this. He's just in a coma right now," Blaire explained.

"Why would someone poison him?" B'rok asked walking in. "He's well respected throughout all Weyrs and Holds. As far as anyone has heard, no one would ever plot anything like this for Yusei. Especially since Aconite is so hard to find as well."

"No matter the case, if Yusei dies, the next in line to lead the Weyr after Yusei is Akiza, being the next senior queen rider. And then Lyra," Deia responded. "If this person is trying to find a way to reach the top if they get a dragon, those two will most likely be the next targets if we don't find this person soon."

"And we'll _need_ to find them soon," Blaire added. "Aconite poisoning is only healable if we have a well-age Aconite herb mixed with several other medicinal herbs. Using the Aconite herb with the others tells the plants what to target for poisoning. But Aconite is too hard to find to get just anywhere. If we find this person, they may have some leftover allowing us to find a cure."

"We can only hope they will," Deia stated. She looked at her boyfriend. "But knowing Yusei, he would do anything if one of us was poisoned to find the person who did this. Which means we need to do the same thing for him."

"Right," they all agreed.

"I'll talk to the Lord Holders and Craftsmen," B'rok stated. "See if they know anything from any of their fellow craftsmen and their civilians." Deia nodded and B'rok walked off.

"I'll talk to Weyrleaders and Weyrwoman of the other Weyrs," she decided. "Akiza, do you want to join me?" She nodded. Deia looked at Jack. "Jack, make sure you keep an eye on Lyra in case she gets poisoned, too. And if you hear anything as to who did this, let me know."

"Right," Jack agreed.

"How can we help?" Luna asked. "We're not just to stand around while our best friend is left in this condition."

"Yeah," Leo agreed.

"You two used to help me before you became riders," Blaire told the twins making them look at her. "When you're not burning Thread, I could use your help. We might be able to try to make another cure to save Yusei."

"Alright," they agreed.

"Crow and everyone else, I need you all to pay attention to everything around you. Don't distrust each other, we're still a family in this Weyr," Deia told them. "But if we find a way to locate the person who did this, we might be able to find the cure for Yusei." She sighed. "For now, it's getting close to lights out. Let's try to get some sleep and we'll work on everything tomorrow." They nodded and walked off, talking to each other and sounding concerned and worried.

Akiza walked up. "When are we leaving?" she asked.

"Early tomorrow morning," Deia answered. "The Weyrleaders and Weyrwoman have their own Weyrs to worry about. But the discussions will take long." She looked at her dragon. "Irath, can you tell Igen's Weyrleader, Z'gar, that we'll be there early tomorrow through Tonith? Make sure they know it's important."

" _Alright,"_ her dragon agreed. He went silent before saying, _"Though Z'gar is wondering what's wrong he will be waiting to hear what is so important. Weyrwoman Senita will also be there with Iatath."_

"Thanks," Deia responded. "Can you also let Weyrleader L'orm and Weyrwoman Ayilja of the Telgar Weyr that, assuming it isn't too late in time after we visit the Igen Weyr, that we'll be coming to talk to them as well?"

" _Of course,"_ Irath responded. He went silent again. He soon spoke, _"They are concerned because they know this isn't normal of the Benden Weyr or you. But they'll be ready to talk whether it is tomorrow or the day after."_

"Thanks," Deia told her dragon again and he nodded. She looked at Truth who was just watching Yusei with sad and worried eyes. "Don't worry, Truth. We'll make sure he'll be alright."

" _As long as Yusei stays with me and the person who did this doesn't get away with it, I'll be fine,"_ the queen responded. _"Until then, I'll be here. I'm not leaving him."_

"I wouldn't expect you to," Deia assured. "But we'll make sure this person doesn't get away with this. I'm not going to stop until this person stands trial for what they've done to this Weyr and Yusei." She looked back at Akiza. "Akiza, you should go get some rest. We have a long few days ahead of us."

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Akiza asked.

"Don't worry, Akiza. I'm going to get some sleep, too," Deia reassured. "I just want to stay here for a few minutes. I'll come get you when we need to go."

"Alright," she agreed. "I'll see you in the morning."

Deia nodded and Akiza walked away. The Weyrwoman turned back to Yusei and sat in a chair next to him. _'We have a fly in our nest,'_ she thought.

 **Flies on Pern are like the flies we have here on Earth. Difference though is that they're bigger and bite more than even horse flies. But they are also more rare on Pern than flies are on Earth. So, I hope that makes the "fly" thing make more sense. Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	16. Two Weyrs

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 16: Two Weyrs

As soon as the watchdragon sounded the morning, Deia and Akiza got dressed and ate their breakfast. Both their dragons insisted on make sure their food wasn't poisoned like Yusei's, especially Akiza's. They were thankful that neither of theirs was.

After that, they took off to the Igen Weyr. As they flew, Akiza asked, "Deia, do you really think the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman will know anything?"

"No, I don't. But by letting them know, they'll look at their Weyr more closely just as we are. So if the person starts acting strange about the situation, they'll notice and ask him questions about it," Deia explained.

"Deia, what'll we do with them when we find the person?" Akiza asked.

"It'll depend if Yusei dies from this or not," Deia answered. "They will stand trial. But poisoning a Weyrleader is enough to banish a person from a Weyr and they usually won't be taken in even by a hold. If the Weyrleader dies from the poisoning and the council decides so, it could result in the execution of the criminal. The final decision is based on the remaining Weyrleader to decide. I don't want to execute anyone, I would rather just banish them. But if Yusei dies, I don't want them to think they will get away with mercy where they can possibly kill other leaders."

"How do you know it's not Mysteria?" Akiza asked. "She hates you guys."

"She may hate us but she does know the line you don't cross. And she doesn't cross that line. Besides, she is relying on Truth is stay with us so she has a chance to become Weyrwoman," Deia explained. "You need to remember, I grew up with Mysteria. We were close friends before she turned to a pampered child. Believe me, as much as she doesn't like us, she wouldn't cross this line."

"I believe you, Deia," Akiza assured. They came up above the Igen Weyr and noticed Z'gar and Senita standing at the entrance, waiting for them.

They landed on the ground and Z'gar asked, "I see you brought another queen. Where is Yusei?"

"That's the problem," Deia replied vaguely.

"Come with us," Senita suggested. "We can talk about this in private."

Deia nodded and the two Benden riders followed them into a meeting room alone. "Now, tell us, Weyrwoman Deia," Z'gar called once they were in and the door was closed, "what made you come here on such short notice? What is so important?"

"Yusei's been poisoned," Deia answered bluntly.

They both froze for a moment in shock. Senita was the first to get over it, though Z'gar was quick to follow, and asked, "How was he poisoned?"

"Someone put Aconite in his food last night," Deia explained shocking them further. "We were eating in our room when he suddenly collapsed. Irath checked his food and smelled the poison. I brought him to the healers and the person just put enough to put him in a coma, but they don't know if he'll ever wake up. Not until we can find a cure. And even when we do, it might be too late to save him. We need to know if you have any idea who or where this person would be. Or even how they got the Aconite."

"We don't know who this person is or where they would be. But we have heard of a black market of rare and illegal herbs being sold in Weyrs and holds," Deia answered. "We haven't found any in our Weyr so it could be just a rumor. But I hope that should start you on the right path," Z'gar explained.

"It does," Deia responded. "We were going to Telgar after this, so that might be able to help us figure out something. Thank you."

"Of course, Deia," Senita responded. "We'll keep a close eye on our Weyr and see if anyone knows anything. Yusei is our friend, too. We may not know who this person is at the moment, but if we find out, we'll tell you."

"Thank you, Weyrwoman Senita," Akiza told her and Deia nodded as a following.

"Whatever can help this person be brought to justice. It is an unforgivable offense to poison a Weyrleader or Weyrwoman. And if we lose Yusei, we lose a strong and well respected dragon and dragonrider. That cannot happen," Z'gar told them. He looked at Akiza. "I assume you are the young queen rider who is next to take Yusei's place."

"Yes," Akiza answered. "My name is Akiza."

"We have heard much about you. I am sure you'll be okay if this does go south for Yusei," Senita told her. "Just remember, leading a Weyr is a large responsibility and weighs heavily. And until Yusei can work at full strength again, it is your job to take his place. I wish you luck."

"I understand," Akiza assured. "Thank you."

"Give Z'orm and Ayilja our good wishes and I pray Yusei makes it out alright," Z'gar stated. Senita nodded in agreement.

"We will," Deia answered. "Thank you for seeing us."

"With a situation like this, it is understandable," Z'gar told her. "As we said, we will keep close watch on Igen Weyr and let you know should anything come into light."

Deia nodded and the two Weyrleaders of Igen Weyr guided them out and said their goodbyes before the Benden Weyr riders flew off to Telgar. As they flew, Deia thought deeply about the rumored black market.

"Deia, is it normal to have a black market on Pern?" Akiza asked.

"No," Deia answered. "It is quite unusual. There was once about a eighty-seven years ago and as soon as it was discovered, it was shut down. There hasn't said to be another one ever since. So the fact that there is one that could be selling Aconite is worrying. If we find this black market, it will be immediately shut down."

"Aren't some black markets good, though? Don't they help some people who are extremely poor get the money they need to live?" Akiza asked.

"Maybe on your planet," Deia replied. "But here, everyone has a job. Even if some people aren't as wealthy as others, they still get enough money to make a living. So they wouldn't need a black market to survive. Besides, black markets are illegal on Pern. The one from eighty-seven years ago made sure of that."

"What happened with it?" Akiza asked.

"Just as it seems they were doing now, they were selling illegal and poisonous herbs to others. And those others killed many people with them. Whether it was lords, craftsmen, or dragonriders, black markets were used as a cheap, herbal weapons shop where people could buy ways to kill their targets with ease. And if that is what is happening again, we need to shut it down before it can do more harm to Pern," Deia explained. "Back then, we lost hundreds of riders, lords, craftsmen, and even civilians to the lethal herbs sold at the black market. That's why they are illegal here, Akiza. They don't help people, they kill people." Akiza gave a slow nod of acceptance and understanding. Deia looked at her dragon and asked mentally, _"Irath, can you let Z'orm and Ayilja we'll be there in a couple minutes?"_

" _Sure,"_ he agreed and sent the message. After about a minute, he said, _"They'll be waiting at the entrance."_

" _Thanks, Irath,"_ Deia responded and patted his neck. _"I know I've been using you like a messenger a lot, haven't I?"_

" _It's understandable, Deia. Especially in times like this when we can't wait for a messenger,"_ Irath responded.

" _Thanks, Irath,"_ Deia responded. They came up on the Telgar Weyr and landed on the entrance where Z'orm and Ayilja walked up.

"Where is Yusei, Weyrwoman Deia?" Ayilja asked. "I would've expected him to be with you."

"It's not a good reason why," Deia answered. "This is Akiza. She is the next queen rider to take Yusei's place. She came with me for a similar reason." Some of the riders in the Weyr gathered around to listen.

"What has happened?" Z'orm asked. "Ceroth sounded concerned and said Irath sounded very worried."

"Yusei's been poisoned," Deia answered and there were many gasps and the Weyrleaders gave a look of dismay.

"Come, we can discuss this in private," Z'orm told them and guided them. They entered another room where he shut the door. "What do you mean Yusei's been poisoned? With what?"

"Someone put Aconite in his food last night," Deia explained. "We already talked to Z'gar and Senita at the Igen Weyr. They said they're going to keep a close eye on their Weyr and also told us about a rumored black market going around Pern that's been selling illegal and dangerous herbs."

"Yes, we have also heard about that," Ayilja responded. "It is quite worrying. And considering the fact that this person was able to gain Aconite so easily and poison Yusei is pointing to the fact that it is reality rather than a simple rumor. Which is quite alarming. What is Yusei's condition?"

"Yusei's in a coma and the healers don't think he'll wake up without a cure," Akiza informed sounding worried and sad.

"Then we must hurry in locating this criminal," Z'orm responded. "If they have any of the Aconite leftover, we can save him."

"We know," Deia agreed. "And once we find this man, we must find the black market's heart. Or else it could cause more harm to Pern than this."

"Have you let the lords and craftsmen know as well?" Ayilja asked.

"B'rok is doing that as we speak," Deia answered. "After this, we need to get back to our Weyr to help it while Yusei is down. But we're planning on talking to the other Weyrs tomorrow. And, hopefully, find the perpetrator of this."

"Do you have any idea of who this might be?" Z'orm asked. "What about that other female bronze rider? I have heard she does not get along with you or Yusei."

"Mysteria? I know Mysteria well. As much as we may not get along, she knows what lines she can cross and which ones she shouldn't even dare to cross. And poisoning a Weyrleader is something she knows not to. So she wouldn't even try," Deia replied. "I don't think it's her. But whoever person this world would obviously want to gain power. It's one of the reasons I am having Akiza join me with these visits. So I can make sure no one can attempt to poison her as well while I am gone."

"It is a smart move to play," Ayilja agreed. "If this person were bold enough to try to take out the Weyrleader, they would also be bold enough to take out the rest in line for the position." Deia nodded. "The question now is who would dare to try to kill a Weyrleader? And why would they want to gain power in such a way?"

"We will find out who when we find them," Deia replied. "As for why, they'll explain that themselves in front of the me and council of Benden Weyr."

"Are you ready to banish someone if that is what must be done? Or do worse if Yusei does not make it?" Z'orm asked.

"I'll do what I have to in order to make sure they don't get out of this without a burn. Besides, this will be a scar on them forever," Deia replied. "Even if I let them free, they'll have to wear that mental shame and no one will treat them the same."

"Even so, you cannot let them go on without some sort of deserving punishment," Z'orm responded. "It would be a horrible decision to let them get out of this unscathed."

"I know," Deia responded. "Which is why I plan to do what is necessary to make sure they can't cause harm like this again. And once we take out the black market, if there is one, it will make it much harder to get any more deadly herbs." They nodded.

"We will find this person, Deia," Ayilja assured. "Do not worry."

"We will follow Z'gar and Senita's promise as well and keep an eye on our Weyr. If anything should pop up regarding this situation, you will be the first to know," Z'orm assured.

"Thank you, Z'orm," Deia responded. "We will need the help." He nodded along with Ayilja. Deia sighed. "We should probably get back to Benden Weyr. I need to check on Yusei's condition and keep the Weyr in order. As soon as people heard about his condition, they were acting differently than usual. But I suppose that is to be expected."

" _Deia, we may want to hurry. Leth says Jack may have found something strange,"_ Irath stated. Deia looked down in thought.

"What is it?" Ayilja asked. "Did Irath tell you something?"

"He said Jack, a brown rider and friend of mine and Yusei's, may have found something," Deia answered. "The strange thing is, I had assigned Jack to keep an eye and stay close to Lyra, our newest gold rider. Just in case someone may go at her."

"Hmm," Z'orm thought. "If he is supposed to be tied down to Lyra for this, it wouldn't make sense as to what he found."

"I know," Deia answered. "But if he has found anything substantial, I'll need to talk to Lyra personally, then."

"We understand. Go ahead, Deia, Akiza. Give us knews as to what you find," Ayilja told her.

"If you would like I can go to talk to M'et and Genola of the Ista Weyr and D'bur and Mehaly of the Southern Weyr for you," Z'orm suggested. "Tell them of what's going on."

"Thank you, Z'orm. That would be much appreciated and thank you for allowing us to talk on such short notice," Deia respond and Akiza nodded as well. He nodded back and went to leave to do as he suggested. Deia looked at the Weyrwoman. "Ayilja, thank you for letting us explain things and helping us. I understand you and Z'orm have your own Weyr to take care of."

"It is no problem, Deia, I assure you. When a fellow Weyrleader's life, especially Yusei's, is in such risk, it isn't a matter that we would want to be pushed aside for our Weyr. Losing a Weyrleader affects all of Pern," the Telgar Weyrwoman responded. "Now you best go see what Jack has found. Good luck and I will hope Yusei comes out alright."

"Thank you again," Akiza responded and Deia nodded in respect before they left.


	17. Evidence

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 17: Evidence

Deia and Akiza landed at the entrance where Jack met them. "What did you find, Jack?" Deia asked. He handed her a pouch. "What's this?"

"Lyra was acting weird, weirder than the rest of the rider here. She had asked me to come with her to her room for a bit to talk. When she went to the bathroom, I decided to search her room to find out why she was acting so weird. I found that. It's filled with this bad smelling herb," Jack exclaimed.

"Bad smelling herb?" Deia repeated. She opened it and immediately saw the grinded remnants. "That's Aconite!" She looked at Jack. "Thanks, Jack. I'll talk to Lyra about this." He nodded slowly. "Where is she now?"

"Should be in the mess hall," Jack answered. "I'll see you later." He then walked away with that.

"Deia, go easy on her. She may not know anything and could've been framed," Akiza told her.

"I know, Akiza. I'm first going to bring her to my room, so we can talk in privacy," Deia responded. "Once I'm done talking with her, I'm bringing the bag of Aconite to Blaire. They'll be able to make a cure for Yusei, then." Akiza nodded. "You should probably find Crow and talk to him about what's happened so far." The young gold rider nodded again before leaving to do so.

Deia walked to the mess hall and saw Lyra eating while reading a book. "Hey, Lyra," she greeted and the girl turned to her.

"Oh, hey, Deia. Didn't realize you were back," Lyra responded putting the book down. Her voice was a bit off, sounding nervous. "Do you need something?"

"I need to talk to you, Lyra. Come with me to my room," Deia replied. Lyra nodded. She put her stuff away before following Deia back to the Weyrwoman's bedroom.

When the door was closed, Lyra asked, "What do we need to talk about?" Deia just threw the pouch of ground Aconite on the table. Lyra went a bit wide eyed, trying to hide the shock in her eyes and show confusion instead. "What's that?"

"It's a pouch filled with ground Aconite," Deia answered bluntly. "Jack found it in your room."

"In my room?" Lyra repeated sounding confused. "Isn't Aconite what poisoned Yusei?"

"Yes, Lyra. Which is why I need to know why it was found in your room," Deia replied gently. "I need you to be completely truthful about this. If you even lie a bit, it could be a problem if someone tries to go to council about this."

"I… honestly don't know," the new gold rider responded. "I don't know why it was in my room. Or where it came from."

"Are you saying you are being framed?" Deia asked a bit unsure.

"I guess," Lyra replied.

"Who would want to frame you?" Deia asked. "If they would've framed anyone, it would've been Akiza since she was the next in line to take Weyrwoman and they would've just poisoned you." She sighed. "Lyra, you need to listen to me. This is serious. If people start seeing you as the perpetrator, it could lead to big problems. Especially since you're a queen rider."

Lyra looked down. "I know," she responded. "I don't know who would want to frame me, though. It doesn't make sense to me either."

"Lyra, look me in the eye and say that," Deia ordered. Lyra did as she was told and Deia watched her carefully. As Lyra finished, her eyes flicked around nervously for a split second. "What're you hiding, Lyra?"

"Huh?" the girl responded.

"As you finished, your eyes disconnected from mine, meaning you're hiding something," Deia informed. "What are you hiding?"

"Umm… er…" Lyra stuttered before she abruptly got up and ran out.

"Lyra, wait!" Deia called but it was too late. _'Could… she really be the one who poisoned Yusei? It couldn't be her, could it?'_ she thought. She looked at her dragon. "What did you pick up?"

" _As soon as you dropped the pouch down, her heartrate elevated indicating nervousness. She knew what was in the pouch and she didn't want you to know,"_ Irath explained.

" _Do you think it's her?"_ Deia asked.

" _I cannot be one hundred-percent certain, but it would stand to reason so,"_ Irath answered. _"What will we do now?"_

" _Well first, we get the Aconite to Blaire so she can make the cure for Yusei,"_ Deia replied boarding Irath. _"And then we figure out who this person is and where the heart of this new black market is."_

" _But first, Truth and Yusei,"_ Irath responded and Deia nodded with her bronze dragon taking to the air.

They were quick to arrive at the healers' area and Blaire walked out. "Deia," she greeted.

"How's Yusei?" Deia asked.

"Stable for now. But there's no telling how long that'll last," Blaire answered.

"Use this to help him," Deia responded, handing over the pouch.

Blaire looked in it and gasped in shock. "Where did you find all this Aconite?!" she asked.

"Jack found it," Deia answered, "in another rider's room."

"Whose?" Blaire asked as they walked in.

"If I tell you, you can't tell anyone else. They could've been framed," Deia responded. Blaire nodded. "Jack found it in Lyra's room."

"Lyra?" Blaire responded. "I must admit, for a while now, I've noticed Lyra begin to act different than usual. A couple days before the hatching where she got Florith, actually. What do you think about all this?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I tried asking her about it, but she was hiding something about the situation. And when I noticed it, she ran out of the room," Deia replied. "Irath has a strong feeling it is her, but I have no idea."

"At least we have the Aconite to save Yusei," Blaire responded. "We'll get working on it right away. It may take a two to three days though before its complete."

"I understand, Blaire. Thanks," Deia responded. The healer nodded and walked to go do her job.

"Oh, and Deia," Blaire called as Deia turned to leave. Deia looked back at her. "Are you planning on talk to more Weyrs tomorrow?"

"Yes," she replied. "I need to find a way of locating this person who did this and locating a rumored black market that is said to have formed."

"A black market?" Blaire repeated concerned. "A new black market has been formed."

"Two Weyrs have said they've heard rumors about it and with Yusei in this state from an illegal and deadly herb, it would only stand to reason that a new one has formed," Deia responded. "But right now, Yusei is our priority." Blaire nodded and continued her walk back inside the healer room.

Deia took off with Irath as she thought, _'Would Lyra really do this?'_


	18. High Reaches Weyr and Another Attempt

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 18: High Reaches Weyr and Another Attempt

The next day, Deia and Akiza were heading to the High Reaches Weyr. As they flew, Akiza asked the Weyrwoman, "Deia, where do you think the black market is located?"

"Irath got a message from Z'orm's dragon, Ceroth, last night saying the Ista and Southern Weyrs have also been put on alert and Ista had heard the rumors about the black market. Southern, being so far away, hadn't heard the rumors but went on alert and is paying attention to any abnormalities. But that only leaves the High Reaches and Fort Weyrs to have any idea about the location of the person who put Yusei in this coma and the location of this black market," she explained. "And remember, B'rok said that the lords inspected their holds with him and they couldn't find any signs of a black market. So that only leaves the Weyrs."

"Why would a black market be set up in a Weyr, though? It would be a lot more dangerous to do so, right?" Akiza asked.

"I'm not so sure," Deia replied. "Here, you only know of black markets if you are invited as a possible buyer or seller. They typically choose you based on your ability to keep a secret and if you seem to have a use for the stuff they're selling."

"Huh," was all Akiza responded with.

They came over High Reaches Weyr and were quickly met with the waiting Weyrleader and Weyrwoman, R'vuh and Jusette.

"Ah, Weyrwoman Deia," R'vuh greeted. "I see you brought another queen, though. I would've thought Yusei would have come with you. I have heard rumors going around that something bad has happened to him." Deia gave a small, solemn nod as a response and Jusette immediately guided the two into her room.

"What has happened to Yusei?" Jusette asked once the door was closed.

"He's been poisoned with Aconite," Deia answered bluntly.

"By Aconite?" R'vuh questioned. "How?"

"It was put into his food somehow a few nights ago. We recently found the pouch used in one of our newest queen rider's rooms. The problem is, it is possible she was framed. She said she didn't know anything about it, but both Irath and I noticed she was hiding something," Deia responded.

"Do you know how this person got the Aconite? It is quite rare," Jusette asked.

"There is said to be a black market somewhere. The lords of each hold went through their hold with B'rok and found no sign of one in their sectors," Deia replied.

"So the only areas left for a black market are Weyrs," R'vuh realized. "That isn't good."

"Do you have any idea where the black market is primarily located?" Jusette asked.

"All other Weyrs except Southern, being so far away, and yours have heard rumors of the black market. But that only leaves Fort Weyr left," Akiza explained.

"If a Weyr has heard rumors, it is possible someone in the Weyr knew about the black market to some extent and didn't take part in it, but tried to tell someone about it to stop it," Deia added.

"True," R'vuh agreed. "Did you and your Weyr hear of the rumors?"

"Not until we visited Igen Weyr and they mentioned it to us," Deia answered. "But if we do have people in our Weyr who knew about it and kept quiet, I am quite worried."

"Do you believe this person is your new queen rider?" Jusette asked.

"I am somewhat believing it is. But I am unsure. All we have against her is that we found the Aconite in her room and that she was been hiding something and acting nervous while I was asking her about it. Other than that, we don't have much else against her," Deia answered. "I also don't want to have to banish or execute a queen rider for their deeds if needed."

"If you have the Aconite now, are you making a cure for Yusei?" Jusette asked.

"Yes, but it may be another day or two before it is complete and ready," Deia answered. "And that's what worries me the most. We know that even Yusei can't go three days without food or water. And it is hard to give someone poisoned with Aconite water as they are usually in a coma or dead."

"Don't worry, Deia. Your healers are skilled, so I am sure he will be fine," R'vuh assured.

"Thank you, R'vuh," she responded.

"In any case, we need to find this black market before it can do more harm," the High Reaches Weyrleader stated.

Deia nodded. "We were actually planning on heading to Fort Weyr after this. Seeing if there is anything known over there," she told them.

"If the rest of the Weyrs have only heard rumors, then the last one to know anything would be Fort Weyr," Jusette commented. "Hopefully they will know something about this."

"You better hurry, though," R'vuh stated. "Daylight burns fast."

Deia nodded. "Thank you for meeting us on such short notice," she responded.

"Of course, Deia. You don't need to thank us, especially with a situation like this," Jusette responded. Deia nodded before the two Benden dragonriders said their goodbyes and left for the final Weyr.

. . .

Lyra walked into the healers room and looked at Yusei.

"Lyra!" came Blaire's call. The young queen rider looked as the healer walked up. "What're you doing here?"

"Checking on Yusei for Deia," Lyra answered. "Florith said Irath wanted her to know how Yusei was doing for Deia."

"A-Alright," Blaire agreed, though was a bit reluctant after what Deia had told her. "We'll be done with the cure soon. You can stay for as long as you would like." Lyra nodded and Blaire went to continue making the remedy. Lyra looked back at Yusei and slowly pulled out a bottle from her pocket. She looked at it for a moment before nearing it to Yusei's mouth. "Lyra, what is that?"

"An old friend gave it to me. Said it could help slow down the poison," Lyra lied, nervous sounding.

Blaire walked over, grabbing the bottom and smelling the liquid inside it. "Lyra, this is poison," she stated with a glare. "Did you not check this before wanting to use it?"

"I… I was worried that Yusei didn't h-have enough time," Lyra lied. "I-I was trying to help."

"I know you're not a healer, Lyra. And being the only queen rider here, I would've told you if I needed you to get something for Yusei's condition. You know that," Blaire responded tense.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I was just trying to help," Lyra tried again.

"For now, stay here until Weyrwoman Deia comes back," Blaire instructed. "She can talk to you personally." Lyra looked to the side nervously but sat down as Blaire instructed.


	19. Fort Weyr and Exposed

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 19: Fort Weyr and Exposed

Deia and Akiza landed at Fort Weyr where the two leaders of Fort Weyr, Weyrleader L'kin and Weyrwoman Felikone, were waiting as usual.

"Hello, Weyrwoman Deia," L'kin greeted. "What is going on that seems so urgent?"

Some other riders were beginning to gather around, so Deia suggested, "How about we talk about this somewhere more private?" The two leaders nodded in acceptance and guided the Benden riders to another room.

"Now what's this about?" Felikone asked a bit concerned.

"Yusei's been poisoned," Deia answered bluntly.

"Poisoned?!" L'kin repeated. "Who in their right mind would poison him, and a Weyrleader of all people?"

"We don't know. What we are becoming sure of, is that they got the herb they used to poison Yusei from a black market," Akiza replied.

"A black market? Why would you assume that?" Felikone asked.

"Because other than High Reaches, Southern, and Benden who just learned of this, all other Weyrs have been hearing rumors of a black market going around," Deia explained. "Have you heard about it?"

"Yes, we have," L'kin answered grimly. "It's been going around Fort Weyr for quite some time now, but we haven't done anything to give it more notice feeling it was only a rumor." He sighed. "But with it seeming to have gotten more than just a rumor, we need to address this immediately." Suddenly the door was shot open and they turned to see a blue rider pushing another blue rider in with a glare. "T'as, what is it?"

"R'san was listening in, seeming somewhat scared," T'as explained. "I tried asking him about it and he tried to run."

"R'san, what were you doing?" Felikone asked.

"N-Nothing," the blue rider stuttered with a lie.

"Tell us now, R'san," L'kin ordered. "Do not lie to us."

That's when Deia realized it. "You're the one who sold the Aconite to the person who poisoned Yusei!" she exclaimed. He winced in nervousness, confirming her suspicion.

"Why would you do it, R'san?" Felikone asked.

"She paid good money for it," he answered. "I needed to get the money to my family. One was getting severely sick and needs a good doctor."

"Whatever," Deia responded. "Who did you sell it to?"

"A, um… A Ms. Lyra, ma'am," R'san answered.

"Lyra…" Deia sighed.

"So we were right," Akiza stated.

"Who is Lyra?" L'kin asked.

"Our newest queen rider," Deia answered. "I guess it shouldn't be as surprising. Being the youngest queen rider, with Akiza and Yusei in front of her, she would never be able take the position of Weyrwoman."

"Indeed," Felikone agreed.

"What do you plan to do with her?" L'kin asked. "You know what the council will decide. Not only did she take part in a black market society, which is illegal as it is, but she also poisoned a Weyrleader in an attempt to kill him."

Irath shook his head in frustration. Deia looked at him and asked, _"What's wrong, Irath?"_

" _Iyuth says Lyra just tried to poison Yusei again,"_ Irath answered. Deia groaned in frustration.

"What happened?" Akiza asked.

"Irath just said that Iyuth, Benden Weyr's Leading Healer name Blaire's dragon, just told him that Lyra tried to finish off the job," Deia explained.

"Did she succeed?" L'kin asked alarmed.

Deia looked at Irath who said, _"No. Blaire was able to stop her before Lyra could do anything more rash."_

Deia repeated the message and they all sighed in relief. "What am I going to do?" she sighed. "I don't want to just banish her. She could hurt other people. And I don't want to execute a queen rider, either."

"The council will want to execute her after hearing this," Felikone stated. "It may be a hard decision, but you must think of what is best for your Weyr and Pern. It would not be good to let a queen rider roam around. Especially since she could come in when both are feeling the need to rise. It could result in two queen deaths."

"I understand," Deia responded. "What would you suggest? You have to face a decision like this once before."

"It wasn't an easy decision, and it wasn't as severe as this. They only managed to kill the Weyrleader. But in the end, we decided to execute them. It would ensure the safety of others and made sure they couldn't do anymore home," Felikone replied. "If I were in your position, I would see her executed."

"I agree with Felikone," L'kin stated. "You can't let her go after nearly killing Yusei twice, with the first time leaving him in a coma." Deia gave a small nod. She looked at Akiza for her opinion.

"I think they're right," Akiza agreed. "But it's your decision."

"When the time comes, we'll see what the council decides and we'll find out if we agree on the proper consequence for Lyra's actions," Deia concluded. "For now, I need to get back to talk to Lyra about this." They looked at R'san. "You can probably use him to find the black market's heart to shut it down."

"Why would I do that?" R'san asked.

"Because unless you want to get a worse punishment than you are already going to get from taking part in a black market, you will show us where the heart of this black market is," L'kin answered. "Don't push us, R'san." He looked at Deia and Akiza. "You can get back to your Weyr. We will deal with this matter with him personally and contact you when we get ready to take down the black market."

"Thank you, L'kin," Deia responded.

"Yes, thank you," Akiza followed.

"Of course," Felikone responded. "Just be sure to let us know what happens to Yusei."

"I will," Deia responded. "Goodbye for now, you two. We will meet again when we finish this."

"Farewell, Deia, Akiza," L'kin responded.

The two riders left for their own Weyr with that.

. . .

Deia and Akiza arrived at Benden Weyr and landed at the healers area. They got off and were met with Blaire. Deia was quick to notice Lyra sitting on a chair in a corner.

"What happened, Blaire?" Deia asked turning back to the healer.

"Lyra came in, saying Irath told Florith for her to check on Yusei for you. I was reluctant after hearing what you told me about her but allowed her to stay. I went to work of the remedy for Yusei's poison when I saw Lyra beginning to turn a bottle towards Yusei. I asked her what is was and she said it was something she got from a friend that would help him," the healer explained. "I knew Lyra wasn't a healer and wouldn't know what would and would not help him. So I checked the bottle which had ground remnants of black cherry seeds in it mixed juice to hide the usually strong smell."

"What's bad about black cherry seeds?" Akiza asked.

"Black cherry trees' bark, leaves, and seeds are highly poisonous and change into an acid in contact with water or in the digestive system," Blaire explained. "If I hadn't stop her when I did, Yusei would be dead." Deia sighed. "What did you find at the other Weyrs?"

"High Reaches hadn't heard of anything. But when we got to Fort Weyr, a blue rider named R'san was found listening in on our, L'kin, Felikone's talk about the situation. He apparently was the person who gave the one who poisoned Yusei the Aconite and, if I had to guess, the black cherry mix."

"Did he say who he sold it to?" Blaire asked. Deia nodded slowly. "You can tell me who, Deia. You know that."

"Lyra," the Weyrwoman answered.

"So she really was the person who did this to Yusei?" Blaire responded shocked, but kept it quiet.

"Yes," Akiza answered for Deia.

"I'm going to need to talk to her," Deia answered. "Akiza, you know where F'iel is, right?" She nodded. "And you also know he leads the Benden Weyr council, too?" She nodded again. "Can you go tell him what we found for me? Just no one else until we resolve this issue." Akiza agreed before flying off on Veraeth. Blaire guided Deia into the room next to Lyra who didn't look at her. "Lyra, we need to talk," she told the young queen rider with a dead serious voice. Lyra gave a small nod and followed her outside where no one was.

"Yes, Deia?" Lyra responded.

"I need to know why you did this, Lyra," the Weyrwoman replied not looking at Lyra and only at the setting sun.

"W-What do… do you mean?" Lyra tried to pass.

"Lyra, you can't hide it anymore," Deia retorted turning to her. "R'san sold you the Aconite and then the black cherry mix, didn't he? And don't lie again." Lyra stayed silent, her face losing all color. "Lyra, why would you try to kill Yusei? Even if you succeeded in getting to Weyrwoman, you would've been discovered at some point and ended up being in the same position you're in now. So what was the point to do this?"

"I… I just…" Lyra stopped, not sure what to say. She fell to her knees, crying. "I… I didn't want to do it." Deia looked at her confused. "I… I was threatened by another rider. If I didn't do it, I would be killed. I… I didn't w-want to, Deia. But, I was worried about what would happen to Florith if I died. I didn't want to lose Florith!"

"Lyra, who threatened you? And why were you the one to get the poison, then?" Deia asked.

"They… They wanted to be sure they didn't have a chance to get caught," Lyra cried. "I… didn't want to. I'm sorry, Deia! I'm so, so sorry!"

"Lyra, who threatened you?" Deia asked again. "Akiza is going to F'iel right now to tell him about what we found about you. You need to tell me so I can question them and figure them out, too. Tell me, Lyra. If you tell me, this could save you."

"It was My… Mys…" Lyra couldn't finish as she cried.

"Mysteria?" Deia repeated and she nodded. _'I knew Mysteria wanted to be Weyrwoman so badly, but… to do this?! Mysteria knows how well I can tell a lie. And she won't lie with her witness with me as well,'_ she thought. "Lyra, stop crying and come with me. Let's go have a little talk with Mysteria."

Lyra looked at her shocked. "W-Why would you believe me? I hid the fact that I was…" she trailed off.

"You were terrified of what would happen to you and Florith. Both from this person who forced you to do this and from what the council and I would've decided if this person isn't discovered soon," Deia responded. "And the fact that you couldn't even say anything out of fear also shows it. You have to remember, Lyra, I am good at reading a person's body language. I can tell if they're lying pretty easily. I never expected Mysteria would do something so reckless, but she isn't dumb to do this alone. And no one else would even try to do this. So why not pick a newbie dragonrider still try to find a place in the ranks?" She helped Lyra up and wiped the tears off her face. "Now come on, we're going to have a word with Mysteria." Lyra nodded and followed the Benden Weyrwoman to the commons where Mysteria was playing a card game with V'raj and a few other riders. "Mysteria, we need to talk. Now."

The other riders gave a confused look but Mysteria tried to hide a nervous one, but was failing miserably. She slowly stood up and followed Deia and Lyra into a meeting room.

"What's wrong, Deia?" Mysteria asked.

"Lyra just told me something very interesting," she replied and Mysteria looked at the young queen rider with shock and anger. "Why do you seem so angry when you don't even know what she said? Do you have a good idea as to what it is?"

Mysteria immediately went back to a nervous but calm nature. "No. No idea," she replied and Deia could immediately tell it was a lie.

Not including that Irath said, _"Her heartbeat sped up. She knows."_

"Mysteria, you know you can't hide anything from me. Especially now that I have Irath," Deia told the bronze rider sternly. "You do know what she told me and you don't like that she told me it. Mysteria, Lyra just told me that you threatened and blackmailed her into trying to kill Yusei for you."

"Why you little…!" Mysteria began angrily but Deia cut her off.

"Don't go any farther, Mysteria!" the Weyrwoman stopped defensively. "The fact that you responded like that is just proving to me more and more that you did what she said. To be honest, I am a bit surprised you went this far. But I am also not so surprised. Mysteria, I know you. So I know how much you like power." She looked at her dragon. _"Irath, send F'iel a message immediately. Tell him to get to the meeting room and tell him what more we've recently discovered.'_ The dragon nodded and did so.

"You don't have any proof other than what she said!" Mysteria retorted. "She could be lying for all you know."

"I don't believe she is, Mysteria," came F'iel's voice and they turned as he walked in with B'rok. "When Verth told me what Irath just told him, I was shocked. Akiza had just told me what you discovered. But even you know Deia's reputation for telling a lie from truth. So you know a lie doesn't get passed her very easily."

Florith landed and walked next to Lyra and nudged her. _"It is alright, Lyra,"_ she comforted. She looked at Deia while connecting her minds to Verth, Kimith, and Irath's so their riders could also hear. _"When I hatched, Lyra had explained to me what Mysteria had done to her. I had asked her if she truly wanted to do it and she explained that she didn't want to but she felt that she would lose me if she didn't. I was worried for her, knowing this would happen eventually. But I didn't know what else to do. If I told any of you, it would've put Lyra in grave danger. Though, if I didn't and she finished the job, it would've been even worse. Lyra is telling the truth. Mysteria threatened her life and forced her to do this deed which she dreaded doing."_

They immediately looked at Mysteria with a glare as she looked at Lyra with a glare. F'iel looked at Lyra. "Lyra, with what you did and the reason you did it, we will only ground you for two months." He turned to Mysteria with a glare. "You, on the other hand, will face trial for the attempted murder of a Weyrleader, threatening and blackmailing another rider, and dealing with black markets. Until the trial can be handed out, you will be grounded indefinitely."

"What?!" Mysteria exclaimed.

"You heard me," F'iel replied sternly. "If you fail to stay grounded until your sentence is tried, we will add it as another thing against you. Do you understand?"

Mysteria looked down. "Fine," she agreed. "I understand."

"Good," Deia responded. She looked at F'iel. "Thank you, F'iel."

"Of course, Deia," he responded. "Did you find the location of the black market?"

"L'kin is probably figuring that out with R'san as we speak," she replied. "As soon as that's found, it'll be shut down."

"Good," F'iel responded.

"I should better get back to Yusei," Deia responded. She looked at Lyra. "Lyra, thanks for coming out with this. You would've been in worse punishment if you had stayed quiet. You did the right thing for yourself and Florith."

"Thank you, Deia," she responded.

"Go ahead and get to your room," Deia told her. "It's almost lights out." Florith's young rider nodded and left with Florith following her. Deia looked at F'iel. "I suggest we keep a rider posted at her at all times. This way she won't be able to do anything to Lyra or anyone else."

"Agreed," F'iel responded. "I will personally see to it."

"Thank you, F'iel," Deian told him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go see when Yusei's remedy will be finished and talk to Truth. Let her know what has happened."

"Alright, Deia. Have a good evening," F'iel agreed.

"You as well," Deia responded before boarding her dragon and leaving the area.


	20. Remedies

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 20: Remedies

Deia landed at the healers area again and walked to Blaire who greeted, "Hey, Deia."

"Hey, Blaire," Deia responded. She walked beside Yusei where Truth looked at her. "You won't believe what we found out, Truth."

" _What?"_ Truth replied intrigued and Blaire looked over also interested.

"Mysteria blackmailed Lyra into trying to killing Yusei," Deia answered shocking both of the two.

"Mysteria?" Blaire responded. "Are you sure?"

"You should've seen Lyra when she confessed. Not included that when I confront Mysteris with Lyra about it how Mysteria reacted and what Florith told us. Including F'iel, B'rok, and their dragons," Deia explained. "She threatened Lyra with her and Florith's life in order to get Lyra to poison Yusei for her."

"I can't believe it," Blaire responded. "To think she would go this far."

"I know," Deia responded. "I had truly believed she wouldn't go this far. But I guess it was just me hoping, since we were once friends I was hoping I knew her well enough to see that."

" _We know Mysteria is skilled in deception when she really tries,"_ Truth responded. _"It isn't your fault. At least we know now."_

Deia nodded. "Thanks, Truth," she told the eldest queen of Benden Weyr. She looked at Blaire. "How's the remedy coming for Yusei?"

"We should be finished in another hour or so," Blaire answered walking back over to it. "After we give it to him, it will be about another day before he is likely to wake up." She looked at another healer. "J'iah is working on a separate batch in case this one fails."

" _What happens if it fails?"_ Truth asked sounding worried. Deia repeated the question for her.

"Don't worry, Truth. With the other herbs in it, it won't affect him," Blaire assured. Truth gave a small nod before looking back at Yusei, worry in her eyes. Deia and Blaire gave sympathetic faces at her. The healer whispered to Deia, "Truth hasn't left that spot since Yusei got here. I can't even get her to eat."

"That explains why she seems to have gotten a bit white," Deia responded.

" _I'll go get her food,"_ Irath stated and flew off before Deia could say anything.

"He's really dedicated to Truth, isn't he?" Blaire asked.

"He is. Just as I am to Yusei," Deia replied. "I don't know what either of us would do if we lost Yusei and Truth." Just as she said that, Irath came back with a small herdbeast and set it next to Truth. The female dragon looked at him and they shared some words before Truth began to eat.

"You can stay here until we're done making the remedy, Deia. I'm sure Irath would want to stay with Truth right now," Blaire told the Weyrwoman.

"Yeah," Deia agreed. "Thanks. I know I want to stay here with Yusei."

"You really do love him, don't you?" Blaire asked. Deia looked down and nodded. "Why did you look down when you answered?"

"Because I… I'm worried that he doesn't feel so strong for me," Deia answered honestly.

"Deia, whenever I've seen him by you, he acts differently than he does even around Truth. Something that says it is more than just a beginning love that you would have when you are boyfriend and girlfriend," Blaire responded. "You should recognize that better than anyone."

"I know," she responded. "I have noticed it. It's just…"

"You're nervous to admit your full feelings to him, I understand," Blaire told the Benden Weyrwoman. "When I first started dating V'raj a few years ago, it took a while before I gained the courage to confess my full feelings. Like you, I was nervous what would happen if I did. I'm sure Yusei is as nervous as you or he would've probably told you by now. He's that kind of guy. But remember, the longer you wait, the less of a chance you get of things getting closer than before."

"Thanks, Blaire," Deia responded. The healer nodded before Deia walked over to Yusei while Blaire went back to work on the remedy and Irath took his place next to Truth as she finished eating.

They waited for about an hour and a half before Blaire walked over with a small cup. "Let's hope this works," the healer stated. Deia held Yusei's body up a bit with his head resting against her chest and Blaire carefully poured the medicinal liquid into his mouth carefully and when every drop was out of the cup, she closed his mouth completely and tilted Yusei's head back to force it into his unconscious body. "Now, all we do is wait to see if he wakes up."

Deia gave a small nod and held Yusei a bit tighter in concern. _'Please, let this work,'_ she prayed to whoever was out there.

Blaire walked away to go work on any other ways to save him if this didn't work. "Hey, Deia," Luna called and she looked as the young girl, her brother, Crow, Jack, and Akiza walked in. "How is he?"

"We just gave him the remedy," Deia explained.

"Assuming it works, he should be up sometime tomorrow or the day after," Blaire chimed in.

"So I notice F'iel following Mysteria around with a glare," Crow commented. "What's that about?"

"Mysteria threatened Lyra into poisoning Yusei," Deia answered bluntly.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Mysteria threatened Lyra and Florith with their lives in order to get them to get the Aconite and black cherry mix and poison Yusei for her," Deia explained. "They didn't want to. But they didn't want the other to be hurt. It wasn't until I questioned her about the black cherry seed mix that Lyra came out with it."

"And how do you know Lyra wasn't lying?" Crow asked.

"Well, one, when Lyra confessed she literally burst into tears in pure fear. Two, when I confronted Mysteria about it with Lyra, Mysteria was immediately acting infuriated at Lyra even when I didn't say what Lyra had told me. And three, Florith also explained the situation, telling F'iel, B'rok, and I all the same thing," Deia explained. "Lyra will just be grounded for a couple months. Mysteria's grounded indefinitely and until we can carry out her trial to decide what'll happen to her after this."

"What do you think the council will see as her punishment?" Leo asked.

"It is up to the council and Weyrleaders to decide a punishment together. With her threatening another rider's life, especially a queen rider's life, taking part in a black market, and trying to kill a Weyrleader, many other councils and Weyrleaders would sentence her to an execution. Weyrwoman Felikone even said that she believed it would be best to put the person behind this to execution so she couldn't hurt another person again."

"But to kill her, isn't that a bit extreme?" Luna asked.

"Luna, you need to understand, dragonriders are well respected. Especially someone like Yusei," Deia responded. "And she broke many Pernese laws by doing this, and everything in between. I don't want to either. But as a Weyrwoman, I need to decide on what is best for Pern and my Weyr. The only other option the council would consider is banishing her from the Weyr. That isn't very often. And when you are banished, you'll be lucky if even a hold takes you in. If you're banished, you are on your very own with the shame there haunting you. Those are the two options the council will consider with her crimes. With everything she's done, they won't show her any mercy and let her stay here." She sighed. "I would try to defend her," She looked at Yusei, "but with what she did to Yusei and Truth, I don't think she deserves to be a part of any Weyr."

"Has this Felikone ever faced a situation like this?" Jack asked.

"Not as severe," Deia replied looking at him. "But yes. And with the danger the person posed to Pern and her Weyr, she had them executed."

"What do you want to do?" Crow asked.

"I'm… not really sure. I don't want her in this Weyr, though," Deia replied honestly. "I'll go with what the council feels is best. The council is made of older, more experienced riders than me. I'll ask them why they believe that should be the decision, obviously, but their wisdom on a situation outmatches mine."

"If that were true, they would be Weyrleader or Weyrwoman, Deia," Akiza responded. "Do you really trust them with a decision this big?"

"I…" Deia stopped. "It's a big situation to figure out what would be the best punishment."

"Deia, if you banish her, would her father take her in?" Crow asked.

"No," Deia answered. "Lords look at their children with high expectancies. With Mysteria able to become a dragonrider, those expectancies increased. Added, her father, Lord Deloxis of Ruatha, respects Yusei quite a lot. If he hears it was Mysteria who tried and plotted to kill him, he wouldn't even look at his daughter again. If Mysteria is banished, she would be eternally alone and shunned. She would be forced to find her own way to live. And as the only other female bronze rider, it wouldn't be hard tell her apart from another bronze rider." She looked down. "Either way, she wouldn't be happy. But to me, it would be like torture for her. To be shunned and looked down upon with anger and disappointment the rest of your life, would you want to live that life? Never to be looked at without a scowl or glare. Never talked to again. Would you want to wish that upon everyone?"

"So, in a way, you would be showing her mercy by executing her," Crow realized. Deia nodded, looking back at her friends with solemn eyes.

"It's not an easy decision to make, you guys," she told them. "And when Yusei wakes up, I'll explain everything to him. He'll probably tell me what he thinks on the matter. He's a guy who likes to keep the bonds he has and wants to keep the peace, as we know. He'll probably try to find a way to keep her alive but make sure she has a rightful punishment."

"Well, we won't know for sure until he wakes up," Jack responded. "So we'll have to wait until then." Deia nodded in agreement.

She looked at the time and said, "Well, it's getting close to lights out. You should get to your rooms for the night."

They nodded and left. However, Luna paused and asked, "Aren't you going to your room?"

"I'm going to stay here with Yusei for tonight," Deia replied. They looked at her and Yusei's dragons who had found themselves in their usual positions as they slept. "Besides, I don't think Irath wants to leave Truth's side."

"Right," Luna agreed. "See you in the morning, Deia." She left with that.

"If you want Deia, I can get you a blanket for the night," Blaire told her walking up.

"That would be great. Thanks, Blaire," Deia responded. Blaire nodded with a small smile and grabbed it.

Deia laid it over herself and Yusei carefully, though Yusei already had a blanket on him, keeping Yusei close to her. She lied herself down on the bed next to Yusei and closed her eyes slightly as she held him for the first time in what felt like years. She sighed and looked at Yusei's face that was at peace in his sleep.

' _Please… please, keep him with me,'_ Deia thought. _'He's my own remedy to my problems…'_


	21. Awake Once

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 21: Awake

It was about noon the next day. Deia was sitting next to Yusei, hoping he would open his eyes. And, to her great relief, Yusei's eyes slowly flickered open about an hour later.

He looked at her and was a bit shocked when she grabbed onto him in happiness. "Deia?" he called weakly. He felt a couple of her tears land on his shirt. "What happened?"

"It's a long story, Yusei," Blaire answered got Deia as the healer walked over. "One best for Deia to explain herself." Yusei slowly tried to sit up but both Blaire and Deia held him down.

"Yusei, you were poisoned with Aconite," Deia told him, shocking the Weyrleader. "You've been out for nearly a sevenday. You shouldn't be moving too much until we know it is out of your system completely."

"Do we know who tried to kill me?" Yusei asked tense.

"Mysteria forced Lyra to do the poisoning for her," Deia explained. "But we can worry about that once you're back in working order."

"What're you planning on doing with Mysteria?" Yusei pressed.

"I'm… not quite sure yet," Deia answered honestly. "For now, though, you just need to rest."

" _Listen to Deia, Yusei,"_ Truth told him. He looked at her.

"That dragon of yours hasn't even left your side since you first passed out and got poisoned," Blaire told him. "Irath had to get her a herdbeast and convince her to eat it. She didn't leave your side for any reason."

"Truth…" Yusei groaned.

" _Don't start, Yusei,"_ she interrupted. _"Just as you wouldn't leave my side in my time off need, I wouldn't leave yours."_ He held out a hand to her and she set her head in his hand to comfort him. _"No matter what, Yusei. I would never leave you."_

" _Thanks, Truth,"_ he responded.

"Why don't you get some or rest, Yusei?" Deia suggested. "You'll need the strength to clear the poison completely out of your system."

"I'm fine," Yusei retorted.

"Yusei, listen to your Weyrwoman," Blaire told him sternly. "You can't do much in the condition you're in now. Once you've completely healed at my say so, you'll be able to leave."

"Alright," Yusei gave in.

"Just get some rest," Deia suggested again and Yusei slowly fell back asleep. The Benden Weyrwoman looked at the healer. "Think he'll be alright?"

"He should be," Blaire answered. "His body is probably just worn out from fighting the poison, as much as he doesn't want to acknowledge it."

"Yusei's like that," Deia responded looking at him again. "When do you think he'll be able to get out of here?"

"At most, a week," Blaire answered.

"Good," Deia responded relieved. "At least he woke up, so we know he's okay."

"When he wakes up again, we'll get some food in him," Blaire responded. "He probably needs it." Deia nodded. "I'll leave you alone for now." The healer walked away with that.

Deia looked at Yusei and lightly cradled his face in concern and relief. _'Thank you for staying with me, Yusei,'_ she thought. _'Now stay with me until I die.'_

She turned to see Luna and Yusei's otherworldly friends walk in. "How is he?" the green rider asked.

"He woke up a few minutes ago," Deia replied relieving them. "We have him go back to sleep for a bit to rest. His body needs all the strength it can get."

"At least he woke up," Crow stated.

"Right," Leo agreed. They all nodded in agreement.

"I can't tell you how relieved I am that he woke up," Deia stated. "I'm not sure what Irath and I would do if we lost Truth and Yusei."

"You really do care for them, don't you?" Akiza asked.

Deia gave a small nod. "By the way, Akiza," Deia called and Akiza looked at her, "I've bet you've already noticed by now that Veraeth is almost ready to rise." She nodded. "You will need to be ready for that."

"Right," Akiza agreed. "How will I know what day she is going to for a fact?"

"It happens in the morning and Veraeth will roar out a mating call as soon as you're awake," Deia explained. "Just be ready for that."

"I will, Deia. Don't worry about me," Akiza responded. She nodded and looked back at Yusei with slightly sad eyes.

"We'll leave you alone for now," Crow stated and gestured for the others to follow him. Deia noticed Luna look back once before leaving completely.

' _I promise, Yusei. I won't ever let you go,'_ Deia mentally vowed.

 **Sorry this is so short.**


	22. Decisions

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 22: Decisions

6 Days Later…

It had been six days since Yusei woke up from his coma. On the fifth day, Blaire finally let him out of the healers room. Many of the dragonriders were happy to see him up and around again. Deia explained everything that had happened since he went into his coma that night.

The other Weyrleaders, Lords, and Craftsmen were relieved and happy to have heard Yusei made through the ordeal and were angered and shocked that Mysteria would go so far. They demanded to be around during her trial and find out in person what her sentence would be. Yusei was reluctant to allow them, but gave in to their requests.

Jack had been talking to Lyra and helping her figure out her lost mind after what she did. It was easy to tell that they were getting close and Lyra was only letting Florith and Jack help her through the ordeal. The other riders didn't look at her with anger or hate, only sympathy. They knew they would've done the same thing if they were in her position, so they had no way to look at her with anything so negative.

Everyone in the Weyr was back to trusting each other, but Mysteria, fully again and everything was returning to normal. Mysteria was still locked to F'iel and Yusei could tell she was getting fed up with being watched everywhere she went. Not including the hate-filled eyes that gazed down upon her from everyone in Benden Weyr.

The black market had been shut down completely and R'san was to face his own charges. Most of the salesmen and buyers in the black market were Lower Cavern Staff who needed something to help their families. Being that they had better reasons and weren't riders, their punishments wouldn't be as severe as R'san's since the blue rider helped in the attempted murder of Yusei.

Now, Yusei was back to working through the Weyr and helping it back into order after everything that had happened. It was morning and Yusei was in his work room where he was sorting through F'iel's two suggestive options for Mysteria's punishment: Banishment or execution. He didn't want either one. As much as he was frustrated by what she did to him and to Pern in general, he didn't want to put her through the eternal shame of banishment or kill a rider. But he knew killing her through execution would be more of a way of mercy for her than letting her live a life of shame and with others looking down at her in hatred and disappointment. Her father didn't even talk to her anymore, let alone look at her.

"Hey, Yusei," came Deia's voice and he looked at her.

"Hey, Deia," he greeted back. "What's up?"

"Mysteria's trial is coming up in the next couple days," she told him. "And Veraeth is expected to rise tomorrow. Lorith has been forbidden to try to catch Veraeth. Have you figured out what you're going to do with her? I haven't. And I can't choose without you. If both Weyrleaders are capable to choose, they have to choose unanimously."

"What would you suggest?" Yusei asked. "I know that by executing her, we'll be saving her from living a horrible life. But… it doesn't feel right to kill a rider. Or even banish her."

"Those are the two options F'iel gave you?" Deia responded. Yusei nodded. "I figured he would." She sighed. "In all honesty, I would have her executed. Not because I hate what she did to you, but because of the harm she can do to Pern or this Weyr again if we just banished her. And because she shouldn't live such a bad life of shame and internal torment. I would honestly just execute her to show her mercy."

"I know where you're coming from," Yusei responded getting up and walking beside her. "I was thinking the same thing. It… It just feels so wrong to kill anyone for any reason."

Deia wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Yusei, I understand that. You have to remember, I know you better than anyone," she told him. "I wish there was another way of showing her mercy from something like this without killing her. Otherwise, I would choose that option. But, there isn't a way."

Yusei sighed. "I know," he agreed. "Does that mean we've come to a decision?"

"An unfortunate one, but yes," Deia answered. She laid her head against his chest. "How do you think she'll act at the trial? Especially when we give her the decision?"

"At the trial, I'm guessing she'll act frustrated and not really look at anyone," Yusei answered. "And when we give her the decision, it'll probably turn to shock and fright."

"And what do you think the Weyrleaders, Craftsmen, and Lords will do with the decision?" Deia asked.

"I've gotten several letters from the other Weyrleaders and Lord Deloxis and they all suggest executing her," Yusei answered.

"Even her father?" Deia questioned looking at him again shocked.

"I'm assuming despite what he feels for her, he still doesn't want her to live such a bad life," Yusei replied. "I can't read their minds like I can dragons. I can only read their body language and figure out what their thinking from there."

"Even when a father looks down upon his own child, I guess he still cares," Deia responded. "I suppose it does make sense, then."

"Deia, is anything else bothering you? You've been acting different since I woke up from the coma," Yusei asked. She looked down with a light blush on her cheeks. "Deia, you know you can talk to me about anything."

' _I… guess it's time he found out, isn't it?'_ she thought.

" _Just tell him, Deia,"_ Irath called despite him being at the Weyrbowl with Truth.

Deia's face was slowly brought to look at Yusei's, so they were as close to eye to eyes as possible with her height compared to his. He slowly leaned down and touched her lips with his. Deia immediately gave into the kiss and held onto his neck tighter while he tightened his grip around her waist, forcing her to get a bit closer to him.

When he pulled back, he asked, "Now, do you know you can tell me what it is?"

"Yusei, I…" she stopped for a moment. "I really do love you more than you know."

He gave her a soft grin and looked into her eyes. "Why would you be so nervous to admit that?" he asked her.

She looked at him a bit shocked. "I… I was worried you didn't feel as close to me as I do to you," she answered.

Yusei kissed her again before pulling back to say, "I wouldn't be so comfortable around you if I didn't."

"If that's so, why wouldn't you tell me?" Deia asked looking down.

"The same reason as you," Yusei replied. She looked at him shocked. "You know you're one of the hardest people for me to read. I couldn't tell if you just felt like we were just boyfriend and girlfriend or more."

"After over three turns of being with you, would you really think my feelings would stay the same?" Deia asked.

Yusei chuckled slightly. "Guess not," he answered. He looked deep into her eyes. "At least we know we can tell each other anything we need to now, right?"

She giggled. "Yeah," she replied. She returned her head onto his chest again. "I guess it was a good decision to tell you now."

"I heard Irath tell you to tell me something," Yusei mentioned. "So I know he had a place in getting you to confess."

Deia giggled again nervously. "Maybe," she responded. Yusei slowly stroked her hair making her relax.

"As much as I would love to stay in this position, I have to get back to work," Yusei sighed.

Deia also gave a soft, saddened sigh. "Alright," she agreed. She slowly pulled back from their position. She turned to leave, but just before, she gave him a loving glance back. She then walked out.


	23. Versaeth's Rise and Answers to Questions

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 23: Versaeth's Rise and Answers to Questions

The next morning, Deia and Yusei woke up hearing Veraeth call out. They were immediately dressed and went to Akiza as Veraeth went down and caught a herdbeast.

"Akiza, make sure she doesn't gorge," Yusei told his fellow queen rider.

"R-Right," she agreed and immediately started focusing. _"Veraeth, you've had enough,"_ she called. Veraeth didn't stop. _"Veraeth, stop!"_

The golden queen lunged into the air as fast as she could. All the bronzes, but Lorith and Irath who didn't bother since he had Truth, flew up to try to catch her. Yusei saw Akiza's boyfriend's, T'raz, bronze, Atoth, catching up fast to Akiza's queen.

"Think he's going to catch her, Yusei?" Deia asked.

"Yeah," he answered.

Just as he said that, Atoth wrapped his next around Veraeth and held her in an unbreakable grip. They fell towards the ground like that. When they neared the ground, the two dragons split apart from each other, ending the lifelong ritual.

Yusei looked at Akiza who looked at them slowly. "Nice job, Akiza," he told them.

"Thanks, Yusei," she responded. She looked at Deia. "Why didn't Irath try to catch her?"

"He already has Truth and he doesn't want anyone else," Deia answered.

"I see," Akiza responded. "Who caught Veraeth?"

"Atoth," Yusei answered with a slight grin. "Let's go check on Veraeth." Akiza nodded. "How did you feel about your first mating flight?"

"I've never experienced anything like it," she answered. "It was weird and unusual, but it felt okay and interesting as well."

"Sounds like the way Yusei felt when Truth first mated," Deia mentioned. "How hard was it for you to keep Veraeth here?"

"It was okay, but still hard," Akiza answered. "How hard was it for you, Yusei?"

"With Truth as close to me as she is, she wasn't too hard to keep from leaving," he answered. "As you know, she never really wants to leave my side."

They entered the Weyr Bowl and Veraeth placed her head in Akiza's arms. _"You did a good job, Veraeth,"_ the rider told her dragon.

" _Thank you, Akiza. Did I trouble you at all?"_ the dragon asked.

" _No, of course not,"_ she answered.

" _Good,"_ Veraeth stated. _"I am glad."_

Lyra came walking up shyly. "Hey, Lyra," Yusei greeted kindly. "Doing okay?" She nodded. "Good. You don't need to worry about what you did so much, alright?" She nodded again.

"Is there something you need, Lyra?" Deia asked.

"I needed to ask some questions about mating with Yusei," she answered.

"Sure, what do you need to know?" he asked. She looked down slightly and he sighed, knowing what she was feeling. "Let's go talk about this in my office." She nodded and he guided her away and into it. "What's up, Lyra?"

"I know it's a while from now, but I… Is it true that browns can mate with queens, too?" she asked.

"Yes, but the clutches typically aren't as large as one with a queen and a bronze," he answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I… wanted to talk to Jack about having him try to get Leth to mate with Florith. But… I'm worried about it. I don't want to be put down more than I already am," she answered.

"Lyra, no one is putting you down," Yusei told her. "If anyone feels anything for you, it's sympathy. If I were in your shoes with Mysteria, I would've done the same thing." She looked at him shocked. "If you want Leth to try to catch Florith, there's nothing wrong with that. He is big enough to try. And browns are somewhat faster than bronzes so that'll help him gain a chance of catching her."

"But… is it really alright for him to even try? It's not very normal for a brown to try," Lyra commented.

"It's perfectly fine, Lyra," Yusei replied. "Irath didn't try to catch Veraeth today and that's not very normal. Bronzes would typically go for every queen they can, but Irath didn't and no one really minded that."

"I understand," Lyra responded.

"Remember, just because something isn't entirely normal, it doesn't mean it's wrong," he told her.

She nodded. "Thanks, Yusei," she responded.

"Of course," he stated. "Now, let's head back and go talk with the others." Lyra nodded and he guided her back.

 **Sorry this is a bit short… again! I'm trying to make them longer. I promise!**


	24. Trial

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 24: Trial

Weyrleaders, Lords, and Craftsmen were in their seats whispering to each other. Yusei and Deia were talking to F'iel and the council alone.

"What do you believe should be done, Weyrleader and Weyrwoman?" F'iel asked.

"Though we don't completely want to, we feel it's best to see her executed," Deia answered. "For Pern and for her."

"What would you suggest?" Yusei asked them.

"I would agree. But let us see what she has to say for her actions before we decide the final punishment," F'iel replied.

"Right," the Benden Weyrleader agreed. They all turned as Mysteria was brought into the room.

The second female bronze rider caught glance of her father's glare and immediately avoided his gaze. The rider bringing her in shoved her down onto a seat by a table in the room. Yusei and Deia took a seat by F'iel, calm and stoic in looks. F'iel and the council took their places on the stands.

"Bronze Rider Mysteria," F'iel called and she looked at him with a fearless, frustrated face which both Deia and Yusei had expected she would have. "You have been charged in account to several crimes you have committed such as threatening another rider's life, taking part of a black market, and plotting and attempting the murder of a Weyrleader. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"You have no proof of any of this," Mysteria stated. "Just Lyra and Florith's words."

"Mysteria, you know Weyrwoman's Deia's lie detecting reputation. Added, even at her young age, Florith is well know as a truthful queen who never lies, especially when her rider's life is on the line," F'iel retorted. "You know that very well."

"And you don't think Florith would lie for Lyra, too?" Mysteria fought.

"How about we ask your dragon," F'iel suggested. "He is the most trustworthy out of you two. Weyrwoman Deia," she looked at him, "I would like you to repeat every word he says, and if Mysteria says anything, to everyone."

"Of course, F'iel," she agreed.

As Lorith stepped in, Deia heard Mysteria tell her dragon, _"Remember what we discussed."_ Deia immediately repeated it, word for word.

"What did you discuss with your dragon, Mysteria?" F'iel asked.

"What is the truth," she answered and Deia sighed in frustration letting others know it was a lie. All in the room glared at Mysteria.

"Continue with the dragon's words," F'iel suggested. "Lorith, I suggest you tell the entire truth." The dragon gave a slow nod.

Deia repeated it as the bronze explained, _"I had tried to talk Mysteria out of it. But she was becoming fed up with not catching Truth after her second mating flight. She wanted to find a way to become Weyrwoman. With queen rider Akiza's dragon, Veraeth, not having risen yet, there was a chance to become for her to become Weyrwoman if Yusei wasn't capable to live on. I tried to talk to her, convince her there was another way. But she was stubborn, too disappointed and angry with herself and at me for not being able to catch Truth. In the end, she forced Lyra into the situation she was in and used Lyra to try to kill Yusei."_ Mysteria glared at Lorith angrily.

The entire crowd began talking amongst themselves, slightly angered but said nothing to Mysteria or F'iel. When F'iel called for them to quiet down, they went silent and turned their full attention back to scenario at hand.

"Mysteria, even your own dragon speaks as which Lyra and Florith has said," F'iel stated. "Do you really believe you can tell another lie against these testimonies and get away with it?" She looked down in angered submission. "Is there anything you wish to say before we decide your fate?"

"Do what you want! You won't get me to feel anything else but hate," Mysteria replied angrily.

Yusei sighed, knowing what the final decision would be. And he knew that with her feeling that way, she would present only that much more of a threat to Pern and the Weyr.

' _To protect Pern, she will have to be executed, won't she?'_ Yusei thought.

"Yusei, Deia, come with us to discuss this," F'iel called. They nodded and followed him and the other council members out.

As soon as they were out of earshot, one member, K'il, stated bluntly, "Execution." The others immediately agreed.

"What do you two feel?" F'iel asked the Weyrleaders.

"I have to agree with them," Deia replied. "At this point, she'll be more of a danger than anything else at the moment, save the Thread."

"You, Yusei?" F'iel replied. "You're the one who will finalize this."

"As much as I want to choose against this, the best option right now is to execute her. If we don't, we'll be leaving her to cause more harm," the Weyrleader answered.

"Then it's settled," F'iel concluded. "She is to be executed for her crimes and the deeds she could do soon." They all nodded. "Then let us go deliver this verdict to her." They slowly walked back and took their seats. "Bronze Rider Mysteria, please rise for the naming of your sentence." She slowly stood. "Mysteria, with what you have done and what you could do later on, we are sentencing you to an execution." She went wide eyed and gave a horrified look while the surrounding crowd gave mutters of happiness and approval. She looked at her father for help but he merely looked away from her, refusing to lock eyes with his own daughter. "Mysteria," F'iel called, "as per every execution, you will have a choice of which you will be executed. You can get either be killed by a sword or killed by flame. Which do you choose?"

"Sword," she answered.

"Very well," F'iel answered. "Your execution shall take place early tomorrow morning. As usual, only those close to you may come to watch and say their goodbyes if they so choose. But be sure you and Lorith are ready to say goodbye in the end." He looked at the crowd. "This meeting is adjourned. Lord Deloxis of Ruatha, you are welcome to stay and say goodbye to your daughter and see her death tomorrow if you so choose."

"Thank you, F'iel," Lord Deloxis responded. The rider nodded before they all filed out, leaving father and daughter alone. "Mysteria, why in your right mind would you do this? You are facing the ultimate price for your actions, and you should've seen it coming."

"I… I just wanted to be a leader, like you," she answered.

"The reason why Yusei and Deia are the Weyrleaders of Benden and you are not is not just because Lorith could not catch Truth," Deloxis stated and she looked at him. "It is because Truth chose whose rider she felt could lead best with Yusei. And whose rider has the best leadership that she knew. If you met those requirements, I'm sure you would've had a better chance of catching Truth. But you grew into something a leader should not be: selfish, arrogant, self-absorbed are ones among others. A leader should be none of these things. That is why your older brother was chosen to take my place after I fell. And this ending to your life suggests how right I was in making that decision. You are not a child of which I will be proud of having." He turned and walked out without another word, leaving Mysteria lost in her mind, not sure what to do with her shock and sadness.


	25. Execution and Aftertime

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

 **Hey, people! Well, this is the last chapter before the epilogue! I have to admit, this is probably one of the most laid back stories I have ever written. Nothing too huge going on, nothing too big like one based off a movie or game or book entirely. So… yeah. Have fun with the chapter and let me know what you think!**

Chapter 25: Execution and Aftertime

The next morning, Deia and Yusei woke up to a knock on their door. Yusei got dressed and opened it to see B'rok standing there.

"Hey, B'rok, you're up early," Yusei greeted letting him in. "Is something wrong?"

"F'iel decided to have Mysteria's execution in the next thirty minutes," B'rok answered. "Did you tell him to do it this quickly? I know he said early this morning, but…"

"No," Yusei answered. Deia walked up seeming also confused. "I didn't tell him to execute her this early. I had told him early this morning was fine, most likely after the watchdragon woke everyone up. Where is he now?"

"Getting Mysteria," B'rok answered.

Yusei looked at Deia. "Come on, Deia," he told her and she nodded before they ran out.

"This isn't like F'iel," Deia commented as they ran.

"I know," Yusei agreed. "Do you think he has something more going on in his mind that just giving Mysteria a punishment for her mistakes?"

"Probably," Deia answered. "But what?"

They arrived by Mysteria's room to hear her whimpering inside. Yusei and Deia immediately opened the door to see F'iel looking down at her, a sword in hand, and with Mysteria curled into a corner, shaking fearfully. Lorith was standing in front of her protectively.

"F'iel, what're you doing?" Yusei asked catching his attention.

"Bringing this to an end, Weyrleader," the elder bronze answered.

"F'iel, listen to me, we need to wait until the timed execution can be played out," Yusei told him. "Now isn't the time yet."

"She was plotting something else!" F'iel retorted. "I heard her!"

"I wasn't! What else can I plot? How will I say my goodbyes is just about it," Mysteria fought.

"F'iel, calm down," Deia told him. She slowly stepped forward and touched his shoulder. "Listen, F'iel, her trial was decided. She was probably just muttering her anger and sadness to herself. She wasn't plotting anything. Just calm down."

F'iel took a deep breath. "Yes, ma'am," he agreed and lowered the sword.

Yusei looked at Mysteria. "Mysteria, you sentence will be carried out this morning," she told her. "But I'll postpone it an hour so F'iel can calm down and you can take your time getting ready for your final moments with Lorith."

"Thank you, Yusei," she responded seeming a bit shocked. F'iel also seemed a bit shocked but also nodded and left. Deia and Yusei turned to leave when Mysteria called, "Yusei, I… I am sorry."

He looked at her before nodding and saying kindly, "I know you are." The two Weyrleaders then walked out.

. . .

Later that morning, it was time for Mysteria's execution. Her father and Lyra decided not to watch, but Yusei and Deia were required to be there as being the main victims of the crime. A few other close riders to Mysteria came up and watched as well. F'iel had calmed down fully and was back to a clear mind.

"Deia, is there anything you want to say to Yusei or Deia about this?" F'iel asked.

"I already have," she answered honestly.

F'iel nodded. "Have you said your goodbyes to all of your liking?" he asked. She looked at Lorith sadly and nodded. "Very well." He rose the sword. "By the rights of Pernese law, I shall sentence you to your death for the crimes of which you have committed. I hope your soul finds its way to the afterlife well." He sank his sword through his heart. Deia instinctively closed her eyes and tucked herself against Yusei for comfort which he tried to give to the best of his ability. Lorith cried out slightly before flying out and going _between_ to leave this life with his lifetime partner. F'iel yanked out the sword and said as her body collapsed on the ground, "Rest well, Mysteria."

A tear fell down Deia's face and Yusei immediately wiped it off and brought her closer. There was a long moment of tense silence. Slowly, though, the riders and people began to file out while some Lower Cavern Staff came and took Mysteria's corpse away to the rider burial grounds and wiped up the blood on the floor.

Yusei slowly brought Deia out and went to their room to talk. Once they were in and the door was closed, the Weyrwoman tucked herself into Yusei's body and cried.

"It's alright, Deia," Yusei tried to comfort.

"I… I know," she cried. "I… It's just…" Yusei held the back of her head to keep her at his chest with one hand while the other held her back caringly. "She was the last person who I actually knew from Ruatha. The last one I had been friends with while I was there. First it was Noket and now Mysteria. How many more people am I going to lose?"

"None," Yusei answered bluntly. He gently made her look at him. He wiped the tears off her face as he said, "I'm not going to let you lose anyone else."

"Especially you," she stated slowly. "I can't lose you. As much as I can't lose Irath."

"And I'm the same," he responded. "I can't lose you as much as I can't lose Truth." He slowly leaned down and kissed her to show her he meant it. She held to him tighter and when he pulled back, she set her head on his chest.

"Thank you, Yusei," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked.

"For staying here with me," she answered, closing her eyes in peace.

"As long as you stay here with me, I'll stay here with you," Yusei responded with a soft grin. She nodded against his chest slowly. Suddenly, they heard a Threadfall call sound out. He sighed. "Looks like we're going to fight."

Deia sighed as well. "Yeah," she agreed.

"Truth, tell Veraeth to remind Akiza that she isn't allowed to fight since her dragon just mated for me," Yusei told her.

" _Of course,"_ Truth agreed and sent the message. _"Veraeth will make sure Akiza remembers."_

"Thanks," Yusei stated. He looked at Deia. "Let's go burn Thread." His girlfriend nodded and they flew off.


	26. Epilogue

**A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE YU GI OH 5DS OR DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO KONAMI AND ANNE MCCAFFREY! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Epilogue

3 ½ Months Later…

Nothing much had happened since Mysteria's execution except for Threadfalls, but those were normal. The only major thing is that F'iel had fallen quite ill, but his age didn't help his condition and it was expected that he would not make it.

Another major event was Veraeth had produced a good sized clutch: Sixteen greens, twelve blues, five browns, four bronzes, and one queen. The queen egg, however, was different. It was crimson red in color. No one knew what to expect after Truth, but they hoped a good queen would be made out of this egg, like Truth.

Now, it was hatching day for the eggs. All the candidates were lined up and Deia, Yusei, B'rok, and all the Lords, Craftsmen, and other Weyrleaders had gathered around to watch.

"So what do you think will happen with the red queen egg?" a lord asked Yusei.

"I'm not quite sure," the Weyrleader answered. "I can't see the future. But I hope this queen is a good one that will help this Weyr and Pern." They immediately agreed with a grin.

The eggs began to wobble and shells began to crack as the hatchlings inside tried desperately to get out of their, hard, restraining cocoon of egg shell that surrounded them. Slowly, the greens and blues came out and got to their riders. The browns and bronzes weren't as quick as the smaller dragon hatchlings to find their lifetime partners, but they soon found one.

And, finally, the queen began to come out of her shell. It shot open hard and the young dragon fell on its side. But, it wasn't gold. It was a crimson red in color, like its egg.

A crimson queen.

 **Hey, people! That's the end of Truth of Pern! I hope you liked the story and let me know what you thought. I hope to see/hear of you reading my other stories and the ones to come. See ya there!**

 **-bricann**


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